Chapter 6:

A/N: Sorry for the wait. The chapter after this may be a bit of a wait as well; I was unexpectedly busy this week, and I am camping next week. Also this chapter has slight spoilers, mainly the fact that Professor Layton has an older brother. Do not worry though, I do not call the man by name :D Thank you so much for the reviews as well!

The days flew by as Friday soon approached. The handful of days in between were becoming more stressful as the duo devoted every second to the Strangler cases, not finding a single lead that could be followed. They stayed up all night long, to the point where even Lucy was starting to sleep in the Mystery Room, waking up in the mornings to down a lot of coffee and heading back for more investigative work.

Hilda would stroll in every once in a while to see how they were doing, more concerned about her coworkers than the actual case at a certain point. One of these times she entered with the extra details for the museum party, much to Alfendi's dislike. Since they had to blend in so they wouldn't draw too much attention (one so the guests would not worry and two so the killer wouldn't spot them easily), the duo was to wear the proper attire. Later that day, Lucy was shanghaied into a shopping trip by none other than the blonde inspector herself and Florence, after learning that Lucy didn't even own a dress. The hyper-focused Prof didn't even notice his assistant missing until she ran in through the door, a few bags on her arms and her mobile open in one hand, with a text reading: It's truly upsetting that the Commissioner is trying to ruin my fun at the party I'm attending. How rude.

She didn't even seem scared of this text like the last few, Alfendi observed. In fact, it amplified her drive to catch the man, steam protruding from her ears in heated anger as she threw everything in her arms to the ground as she stormed over to the case files. She was driven by the simple thought of catching this crazed lunatic who was murdering young women just for kicks, that she would not let it happen to anyone else, that it would not happen to her. Lucy wanted this man behind bars for life; there was a furious passion behind her that even Alfendi was transfixed by.

While Lucy's determination was growing, Alfendi was becoming more and more infuriated by the day. The killer contacting Lucy again had made his blood boil, and seeing as there were a trail of parties occurring that week, the text did not give any info to what party he would attack at. It also didn't help that every time Alfendi went through the cases, he couldn't pick up any leads, and knowing he had to attend a party he had no wish of going to was the icing on the cake.

The stress of it all was causing Alfendi to randomly lash out at the simplest of things, even as far flinging a picture off of the second floor hallway because it was 'looking at him the wrong way'. Lucy was starting to fear about his mental health and was constantly next to him, trying to help in any way possible. And a good thing to, because his mental health was slowly draining due to the case, the party, the normal issue of split-personality, and her.

The heat and tension after the two had talked on the couch still lingered in Alfendi's mind. He had opened up to her, and in return, she opened up to him. He had touched her smooth, gentile hand, only to crave more contact. To cup her soft cheek with his hand, to run his fingers through her light chestnut brown hair. To lean in closer and press him lips against hers, and feel her returning the affection. He had wanted that, to be close to her, to feel her against himself and get caught up in the moment, and then both sides of him had chickened out. A confused fear had run through him, scared that maybe she wouldn't return the affection, that maybe Lucy would push away from him and say it was a mistake.

That maybe she would accept him, help him finally open up, and then one day get up and leave.

His 'potty' side had cringed yet again as that last thought traveled through his mind. Vulnerability and weakness were traits he highly frowned upon, and he wouldn't be distracted by his thoughts and feelings. Not that night, anyways. Friday had finally arrived, albeit slowly and painfully, and he gave a frustrated groan as he shuffled through his small closet. The entire bottom half was stacked with books, loose papers, and broken lab equipment, while the top half consisted of clothing that he never wore. So Alfendi decided that there had to be a suit or tux or something stashed away and began rummaging through. After a considerable amount of time tossing clothing and rubbish onto the floor of the barely used bedroom, he found a decent attire to wear.

It was a tux he had received a considerable number of years back, he couldn't even remember why it was given to him. With a small grumble of displeasure, he changed into the tux. It was as black as night and incredible fancy looking; he also fit into it perfectly. He hated it with a passion. Alfendi stepped in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection. Maybe if he glared at it long enough, the tux would catch on fire. Alas, the tux did nothing of the sort, and Alfendi knew it would never work anyway. Actually, now that he noticed, he didn't look half bad…causing him to hate the tux all the more.

Giving yet another glare at his reflection, he finished getting ready, taking a look at the time when he was done. '8:09 and counting.' The placid side thought in the back of his mind. That side of him had been very verbal the entire day, calming him down and telling his real half that nothing terrible would happen. 'Lucy will be with you the entire time, don't worry. If anything, be worried about father asking puzzles.' 'Potty' gave an audible snicker to the comment, for once agreeing with his other half. The placid side was right though, Lucy would be near him the whole time, from when he was picking her up at 8:30 until the end of the damn night when he dropped her off.

Speaking of which, he had to leave soon. Alfendi walked out of the terribly messy bedroom to the even messier main room. It was in a worse state than the office; books and newspapers were piled up around the room, leaving a pathway through all of the clutter. The short wooden table next to the couch where he normally slept had chemistry equipment on it, including a glass container filled with something that resembled green goo and a different jar had 'corrosive' written on it. The small counter next to the door was the only thing that was cleaned off, usually where anything of importance was placed. He swerved around the room to the small counter, placing his police badge in one pocket and his keys in the other, rearranging the hidden gun holster that was underneath the tux.

Alfendi headed out, locking the door behind him and making his way to the police car he had borrowed outside. Lucy's flat was a good ten minutes from his own while driving, but unfortunately it was in the opposite direction of the museum. 'Potty Prof' cursed silently under his breath while driving, dreading the idea of possibly seeing some of his family. Hoping that they would not be there was silly, because they would be there. These thoughts continued to flow in through his head while questioning how on earth he would ever survive the next three hours of his life.

And as he pulled the car next to the curb, his question was answered. "Wow…" It came out breathy as he was entranced by the figure standing on the concrete stairs. Alfendi actually had to question if it really was Lucy for a moment, she was so absolutely stunning. Was she secretly an angel? Her strapless black dress showed off her slim, milky shoulders and extenuated the elegant collar bone. The dress clung tightly around her chest and midsection, allowing the smooth curves of her figure to be shown. The dress, just a bit above the hip, fanned out into a cone shape, contrasting with the tightness of the top half of the dress. It stopped right at the knee, showing off her surprisingly long and skinny legs. Her hair had been brought back best it could into a small bun on the back of her head. The small amount of makeup she wore brought out her sparkling amber eyes, defining her high curving cheek bones, and giving even more colour to the bright grin.

And for once in her life, she was not wearing the burnt orange cap she always wore.

All Alfendi could do was stare at her, a familiar warmth spreading to every inch of his body as the angel approached the police car. "Oy, is summat on my dress?" He forced his eyes to stop examining his assistant and turn his head in the other direction, "N-no…it's nothing. It's just that..erm…" 'Potty Prof' was becoming overwhelmed just by being in Lucy's presence, and there was no way he could unsee just how stunningly beautiful she looked. While the real Prof was at a loss of words, 'placid Prof' was frantically rambling, 'Really?! NOW you have to be lost for words?! Say something, 'It's just that you look pretty' or lovely, or gorgeous!'

"It's just that you clean up really well."

He could actually feel the other half of him mentally place a hand on his forehead. Lucy merely laughed, smiling widely at the small complement that 'potty Prof' graced her with. A simple complement such as that could not have been easy for the real Alfendi to say, she reminded herself, causing her heart to jump to think that the usually cruel and negative Prof would ever have any kind words.

"Why thank you Prof! 'onestly I 'ate dressin' up like this, but Flo were sayin' I 'ad to get this one. Hilda weren't too sure if this would work on me, or summat." She took her place in the seat, buckling up as the car gave a lurch forward as it moved into drive.

'Placid Prof' did not miss a beat as she was saying this, quickly taking control as he felt the other half about to lash out at the undeserved comment that Hilda made, "Well I do agree with Florence; it is a lovely dress. It suits you quite nicely. You should dress up more often." Lucy was absolutely flattered. She was getting honest to god complements from both sides of the Prof, sending her straight to Cloud Nine. A goofy grin was set on her face as she began talking about the journey through the mall with her two coworkers, at which 'placid Prof' was all ears for.

The story lasted for the entire car ride to the museum, which was good because it meant that neither side of the Prof did much talking. The less talking, he reasoned, the less likely either side of him would say something stupid or mean. Every minute the car closed in on the museum, the more nervous both sides of Alfendi got. Being nervous was not something he liked, and he was becoming increasingly agitated about the entire package of that night; having to attend a social gathering, having to see relatives, the fact that he couldn't even look at his assistant without his heart actually missing a beat, and that the real Alfendi was beginning to understand why the thought of Lucy stirred emotions that were so unbelievably foreign. It was the opposite of what he had lived with for the past few years of his life, alone for almost every hour of the day with nothing but his case files. In fact, a few months ago he would have given anything to keep his life the same.

But now…

He gently glanced over at his assistant, who was still talking about her first big adventure to a mall. She had changed everything from the moment she entered his office. Life before her almost seemed bleak and colourless now, a world so out of place that he couldn't believe he had lived with it for so long.

It took about thirty minutes from Lucy's flat to the parking lot at the museum, but the entire ride felt like it only took a blink of the eye. Where had the time gone? Alfendi shook his thoughts out of his head, getting back into his inspector mindset. "Do you have everything you need? I didn't see you with a handbag."

Lucy giggled at this, "I've got everythin' in my pockets!" He gave a puzzled look at this; the dress certainly did not have pockets. She continued her giggling, lifting a corner of her dress to revile that she was wearing a pair of very short shorts. The giggles turned into a fit of laughter as the 'placid Prof's' face turned into a shy I-really-should-have-known type of expression.

He waited for the laughs to die down before asking if she was ready to go. With an excited nod, the duo exited the car and headed into the museum. "Now, there are a few things I will mention before we enter," he started as they made their way to the front entryway, "first off, stay by my side; we don't know if the killer is here, and I am sure that if he is, we will spot him easier if we are together. Second, could you…uh, use Alfendi instead of Prof for this one time? I doubt anyone will be impressed, seeing as I am not actually a professor." She agreed with both of his requests, although frowning a bit at the second one. Lucy liked using her little nickname for him, but she understood why he was asking this.

The doorman let them enter, being informed earlier that two members of Scotland Yard was attending incognito. The moment they entered the room where the party was being held, Lucy let out an excited gasp. The room was nothing like she had ever seen; the bright golds and yellows were wonderfully inviting, and all around there were display cases of both strange and interesting artifacts. On the other side of the room was a tiny balcony that overlooked the entire room, causing Lucy to think 'A perfect bird's eye view!' All around were people dressed in fancy clothing, greeting each other and making small talk as they examined the displays. In one section of the room there was dancing, the magnificent colours of the dresses blending together to make an ever changing rainbow. The scents of all the perfume and cologne were drowning out all other smells, mixing and swirling throughout the entire room. She had never experienced anything quite like this, and was absolutely caught up in everything the moment had to offer.

"By 'eck, this is simply amazin'!" It was like a child in a candy shop; her amber eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she immediately took off in excitement, leaving Alfendi's line of sight. His placid side let out a sigh. After all of the time the two spent together, he should have realized that Lucy would forget his request of 'stay with me' the moment she entered the building. Now he would have to move throughout the sea of people to find the girl.

"Well, she's still in the room," he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin as he made his way throughout the crowd. The number of people made the Prof uncomfortable, causing him to snap at some when they would block his path with his placid side apologizing as he moved away. This routine continued for another good ten minutes, until he reached a small side of the room where he spotted Lucy talking pleasantly with a man. 'Oh no…' Alfendi felt his stomach drop, picking up on who she was talking to, 'Please don't be telling small child stories about me….'

The inspector walked towards Lucy and the man, his guts telling him that it would be best to intervene before anything went out of hand. The man was much older than Alfendi, yet just as lanky, with a pair of classy glasses that framed his chocolate brown eyes. He too was wearing a tux, a deep grey one that made his slicked back silver hair stand out. The man was the first one to see Alfendi heading towards the two, his face brightening up into a grin. "Ah! Why if it isn't little Alfi! How's my favorite nephew?"

Alfendi let his hand greet the one being offered, shaking it and joining the conversation, "I see you've met my Uncle, Lucy. And there is no need to claim you have a favorite nephew."

The Uncle laughed off Alfendi's words, "Oh, you know I say that to both you and your brother," the lines sounded like they had been said many times throughout the years, "you need to lighten up a little, my lad. Like this wonderful young assistant of yours! I have to say, she is quite unique."

A small blush crossed over Lucy's face at the complement, "Well I wouldn't go that far…"

The 'placid Prof' placed a hand on Lucy's slim shoulders, causing the blush to grow crimson and her nerves to jump, "No, I would have to agree that you are one of a kind. But I'm not the one to lighten up easily."

"Aha, if you do say so. Say, have you seen your father? I have yet to run into him." Lucy could feel the hand on her bare shoulder tighten for a brief moment, knowing that 'placid Prof' was fighting his other half down in an attempt to not make a scene.

"I have not. We only just arrived, and then I was trying to find Lucy after she took off. We actually have a job we should be doing right now."

"I should have known that the only reason you were here was for your job. Simply by the fact that you are here tells me this is classified Scotland Yard work." Alfendi gave the smallest nod of the head, "Don't worry, I won't pry or take your time any longer.

"Thank you Uncle. If I do see father, I shall make sure to tell him that you are looking for him."

"Looking for who, my boy?" A man, in a black tux and a magnificent top hat that covered most of his hair, had approached them while Alfendi was attempting to say a quick farewell. She could feel the grip tighten yet again, for a considerable number of seconds this time. It was her turn to swoop in and interrupt the emerging 'potty Prof', " 'ello Mr. Layton! You're the Pr- erm, Alfendi's pop, yeh?"

She wasn't so sure if Alfendi's father caught onto the fact that she intentionally stepped in between, blocking off Alfendi, but she was quite sure both sides of the Prof noticed. "Yes I am, my lady, but please call me Hershel. You must be Lucy Baker. The Commissioner raves about your investigative talents." This got Lucy beaming the second the words reached her ears. She wasn't sure that anyone really noticed her at the office, but the fact that the Commissioner was impressed gave her a huge boost of self-confidence.

"So Alfendi, what have you been up to? I have not heard from you in a while." Though it rang with such a positive air, Lucy could hear the hidden tones of sadness. Did the Prof really have that much strained feelings towards his father to the point where they did not talk often? It made it all the sadder to watch as Alfendi's father was struggling to connect with his eldest son.

Thankfully, 'placid Prof' was still in control, "I've been quite busy with cases. The pile continues to grow if someone is not there to solve them. At the moment, we are on a case that is particularly baffling."

"Well, I wish the best of luck to you both on your case then." Both Lucy and the Prof's Uncle noticed the awkward silence that fell as neither Hershel or Alfendi continued talking. Lucy could actually feel Alfendi's two sides struggling, seeing his hair switching back and forth between crimson and maroon. This time it was his Uncle that went in for the save, "Now Lucy, did I mention that I once flew a car all the way to Egypt?"

This certainly caught the attention of Hershel, who's voice turned into a kind scolding, "You stole the Laytonmobile with Emmy and then proceeded to crash it in Egypt."

The Uncle only burst out laughing, "Thank goodness for that! The sand cushioned the fall nicely. You know you should not have told me of the flying mechanic that Palo placed in your car."

"I did not even know it still worked; he placed that in years ago. However it was ungentlemanly to take the Laytonmobile without asking." This was the beginning of playful brotherly banter, which amused both Lucy and Alfendi, and continued on until the inspector excused themselves, saying that they needed to go back to their work. The duo moved through the crowd together, looking for anyone that could be their killer. Lucy kept in mind the image of the man she had shared lunch with, but not spotting anyone that shared even a similar face. It was difficult to make out the faces of others within the sea of people, and from their angle on the floor. There was no possible way to see if there was anyone that was with a woman that fit the description of petite with brown hair.

"Oy, P- I mean Alfendi, there's a balcony that oversees the room! We'd get a better view of the place from there!" Once again, she dashed off, the Prof trailing behind her. Behind one of the turns, there was a door that led to the staircase. The handle would not turn all the way; it was locked. After a few attempts, 'potty Prof' moved Lucy aside, pulling out a ring of keys.

"Uh, Prof, where'd ya get them keys?" He ignored her question, knowing the answer of 'I pick pocketed a guard' would get a grade-A lecture, and started trying each of the keys in the lock. With a satisfying click the door opened to revile a red carpeted staircase that led directly up to the balcony, which they both ascended. From their new perspective, they could see everything that was happening in the room, yet it still did not help.

Alfendi was leaning both arms on the railing, gazing at every inch of the room with a keen eye. As far as he could tell, no one present seemed suspicious. They held this position for a good amount of time, continuing to look out into the crowd. He glanced over at Lucy, also inspecting the room. From where he was, he had a clean view of her left arm, which still held the scaring bullet wound from longer than a week earlier.

"Is that getting any better?" 'Potty Prof' asked, gesturing to the graze.

"Yeah, it's been 'ealin' fast. It'll be leaving a scar, but it don't bother me." There was a strange seriousness to her voice that was not present before. "Your Uncle takes a shinin' t' you."

There was a softness to the real Prof's voice, "He was the one that pushed me towards investigative work in the first place. Uncle recognized even before my father that I had no intentions on working in the field of archaeology, and figured my talents might be good in this field." Being sentimental was not something Alfendi dabbled in, but it felt right being able to talk with his assistant like this.

"Ah…well I'm glad 'e convinced ya t' join."

"Huh?"

"Well if you didn't join, I'd never 'ave met the one an' only Alfendi Layton." It was odd hearing his actual name flow from Lucy's mouth, sending a chill down his spine, yet at the same time he could feel his chest ache. He never knew how fond he was of his little nickname.

"You should just stick with calling me Prof. It's weird hearing my actual name from you." She gave a light-hearted laugh, moving a bit closer to the Prof. The small movement instantly made his heart beat ten times faster, feeling the warmth that came off of Lucy as the distance closed between them. "The music is nice. Typical ball room dancing music, if I'm correct."

"Hmm…I like it. It's soothin'…." Many of the people below had begun dancing, almost as though the music was charming them into it. It was beginning to have an effect on Lucy, who started to slowly move back and forth with the rhythm of the music that was filling the air. She reached out and tugged on the Prof's tux, "Come on Prof, everyone else is dancin'!"

His shyness instantly showed, "I'm not the one to dance Lucy. I don't even know how to."

She disregarded his excuse, still pulling at him, "Then we'll dance up 'ere! No one 'as t' know ya can't dance then." Even with his hair slowly turning a bright crimson and his honey-yellow eyes growing sharper, Lucy persistently asked. The final straw was her saying, "You should listen t' your Uncle! You need t' lighten up a tad Prof!"

"Fine, you silly girl, I'll dance with you!" Suddenly she was violently swung around into a dancing position by the 'potty Prof', one of his hands placed in her waist and the other holding her hand. The sudden closeness turned Lucy's face scarlet as they slowly moved around the balcony by their lonesome, swaying to the music like pieces of grass in the wind.

"I thought you said you can't dance." There was no response to her comment, the music softly danced around the two as they continued to move in slow circles. His hair would switch every so often, almost as though the two sides of the Prof had agreed that they would both dance with her. The moment did not seem to have ending; they were enjoying the unsaid peace that had settled between them. 'Potty Prof's' hand was slowly snaking around her waist, pulling the young woman in. Alfendi could actually feel Lucy growing warmer, her entire body beginning to shake out of nerves as he held her closer.

There was electricity shooting between the two, tension starting to settle around as they continued to edge away the space in between them. He honestly could not hear anything besides the sound of his heart bashing in his eardrums, no music or placid voice telling him what to do. And all he could see in front of him was an amazing one of a kind girl in front of him, face absolutely blushing red from how close the two were. The sharp honey eyes were searching in the amber ones, both faces merely inches away from each other.

How long had they been standing still? He could not process anything except Lucy at the moment. Her wonderful face, that slightly messy chestnut brown hair, those rose petal coloured lips…He soaked in every feature of her face until it was imprinted into his mind. Alfendi released her hand without realizing, cupping her cheek and caressing it. There was not a chance in hell he would chicken out like last time.

He leaned in slowly, feeling the waver in Lucy's breath. Taking the sign that she did not push him away as a good one to keep going, he went for it. His heart soared a mile into the sky as he felt his lips connecting with her soft ones. It was nothing like he ever would have imagined, just simply in the moment as he felt Lucy press back gently. Why did he not do this sooner? His hand stayed on her cheek as the kiss became deeper, causing his insides to twist in ways that did not seem possible. He practically melted into the kiss, holding her small figure right against his as they continued.

Bzzt bzzt

He ignored his mobile, continuing to be lost in the kiss with Lucy. Nothing was going to interrupt this magnificent moment.

Bzzt bzzt

The kiss started to become lighter as Lucy heard Alfendi's mobile ring for a second time.

Bzzt bzzt

"Who the hell is it?!" he swore, breaking the kiss to check his mobile for the person ruining possibly one of the most amazing moments he had ever experienced. It was from Hilda, and 'potty Prof' was grumbling with hatred as he checked what she wanted. Lucy was still right next to him, glancing at his mobile as he went to the missed texts. Come quickly to the London Art Museum. Murderer attacked not too long ago.

"We need t' get goin' then." Her face was still flushed, one hand touching her lips where she had just been kissed.

The 'placid Prof' nodded in agreement, grabbing Lucy back into his arms before she could dart away, "We'll discuss this after the case, if that is ok with you." She smiled, her hand squeezing his own. He placed a short, delicate kiss on her lips before the two headed out to the next scene together.