Hello all! And welcome to the second installment in my Fine Line series. You guys excited? I'm excited to write it for you. We're picking up five years after the first story. This time around we'll be seeing a lot more action and adventure and be traveling to more places, as opposed to last time where we just went to Italy. And of course, there will be fluff and romance, and perhaps some drama. I'm hard at work weaving this story together to ensure most of you will enjoy it. More heists and villains, I may struggle with writer's block along the way but it'll be worth it.

Alright. On with the sequel!

Chapter 1 Dawn of an Uprising

Rain pelted the ground in loud splatters, the sudden downpour an annoyance to the coyote as he thrust open the car door on the driver's side. He glared up at the sky that spanned over the secluded forest he was now in. The night sky resembled an angry black hole, the swirling clouds seeming to funnel, lightning flashing and thunder crashing adding to the ominous atmosphere.

The coyote pulled his coat tighter around him as harsh gusts of wind whipped through the clearing. He shielded his face with one hand as he stared up at the lofty log cabin straight ahead, wondering if he'd come to the right place.

As soon as he stepped out of his car, the sole of his boots met with thick glops of mud. The canine scowled as he slammed the door shut and shook his feet free of the thick mud with every stride he took until he reached the porch of the large log cabin. Once he'd reached the door, he repeatedly wiped his feet on the welcome mat until the majority of the mud was gone. Using his knuckles he knocked to let the inhabitants of the cabin know their guest had arrived.

More wind whipped by and he clamped his hands on his upper arms. Several moments passed, and then the door slowly opened. Standing there was a lavishly dressed feline. Her chartreuse eyes glowed as she acknowledged the canine at the door.

The coyote had to stop himself from gawking back at her. He had never seen anything like her before in his life. She seemed to have multiple fur patterns, ranging from leopard to Bengal tiger to cheetah. Her stripes were deep violet and her spots a dark cerulean blue. While her base color was mostly a pure white, there were hints of pink to it as well. Her hair was a soft blonde with streaks of hot pink in it.

He was stunned speechless by the creature in front of him, not by her beauty, but by how peculiar she looked to him. Just what kind of cat was she supposed to be?

The petite feline stared at him almost invasively, her eyes roaming his body. She blinked once and then turned to look over her shoulder. "He's here," she informed the others. She pushed the door open further, a courteous smile gracing her unique features. "Please come in sir," she said to him.

The coyote thanked her and followed her inside the warm and inviting cabin. She led him through the great room and around the corner to the adjoining room. There, three more creatures sat at a rectangular table. A thin male chameleon and a female avian. By her feather type, it was clear the avian was some sort of falcon.

Sitting between the chameleon and avian was a tall spider. How his lean torso slowly melted into a fearsome arachnid's body would have made Alfonso shudder in fear, if it weren't for the fact that he was a hardened criminal and didn't scare so easily.

"So glad you could join us, Mr. De Luca," the arachnid greeted him in a courteous tone, crossing two sets of his spindly spider legs. He used his right hand to wordlessly gesture to the last open seat that they'd reserved for him.

"Thank you," the coyote responded as politely as he could manage, removing his drenched coat and placing it in his lap as he sat down.

"Oh you're most welcome," the spider replied. "We should be thanking you, Alfonso. After all, it isn't every day we find a new ally who wants to help us in our vindictive efforts against Coopers."

The coyote clenched his fists tightly as a growl rumbled in his throat. His fur, though still damp, bristled up and stood on end. He spoke slowly through gritted teeth. "If there's one thing I'm after here, it's revenge on that slanderin', swindlin'…sorry little son of a bitch, Sly Cooper."

"Has he done a personal wrong to you, or this more a monetary matter?" the feline's voice inquired in a rich alto.

"Might as well be both!" the coyote snarled out. Trying to control his temper, he took a deep breath and dug his fingers into his matted head fur, exhaling shakily.

"Tell us Mr. De Luca," the spider urged as he offered his guest a cup of tea. "What has he done to you?"

The canine took it and thanked him. He remained calm though anger burned bright in his gaze. "I lost everything. All because of him! I had twenty years' worth of what my boys and I collected, in that safe, there was millions in that thing! Millions! I had the world at my fingertips!" He clenched a trembling fist and raised it in front of his face. "Everything was in reach, I had it all. Girls, cars, an entire network of dealers at my beck and call to supply me with any drug I wanted, you name it. And then that…disgusting little rat broke in and stole ever last bit of cash. As if that wasn't enough, he left me and my team with a little parting gift before he took off." He pinched his thumb and middle finger together. "A little bomb that could fit in my hand. Wiped out ten of my men. Ten." His thumb and forefinger still touching, he swiftly snapped them together. "Gone. Just like that."

"And did you receive that steel optical implant from the encounter as well?" the spider asked.

Alfonso closed his one fully biological eye as he ran his fingers over the cold texture of the steel optic 'eye' he now had. "Yes…my personal souvenir," he stated, as if he were making a joke, but there was no humor to be found in his grim tone. He raised his head and glanced around at the other four. "But, honestly, as freaked out as I was about getting this thing at first, after I got it…" He lifted his gaze, scanning the lavish room of the cabin. He tapped a button on his optic, focusing the infrared beam that was where his iris and pupil once were on a distant point on the ceiling, able to see every small indentation and particle of dust that happened to be on the wooden beams above. "Now I can see everything so clear…damn near freaked me out when I woke up after surgery." He sipped the warm beverage he'd been given.

The feline slowly nodded her head, her green eyes focused on the coyote. "So this replacement optic has vastly improved your field of vision."

He nodded to her, readjusting the lens to regular focus. "Had it for four and a half years now, and despite lookin' like some kind of freak of nature to everyone else, it's a mighty nice replacement eye."

The spider ran a slender finger along the rim of his cup of tea. "It will serve you well whilst completing future tasks you'll be helping us accomplish when up against Interpol," he informed him. "As will your physical strength and temper, channeled properly of course. Don't worry, we'll train you in that field."

"It was a wonderful investment on your part. Everyone could use a little enhancement, technological or genetic. Why keep what you have when you can obtain something better?" the avian asked him, followed by nods of agreement from the other members.

Alfonso, a coyote who didn't have much going for him as far as mental capacity, simply shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does," the spider replied, his voice so calm and relaxed.

"All I'm after here is the ultimate payback against Cooper, his gang, anyone he's involved with. I want him to regret ever stepping foot on my turf and taking what took me half my life to get."

"I assure you, you'll have the revenge you desire," the arachnid said, his pedipalp fingers clasped together in an almost bored fashion. "Sly Cooper will pay for what he's done, one way…or another."

Alfonso scratched his head and looked around to the gang members. "So…if you don't mind me askin'…is there any special reason you guys use a cabin in the woods as your hideout?"

"What were you expecting?" came the slick voice of the chameleon. The thin reptile leaned back in his chair and slowly crossed his arms as a smirk formed on his lips. "A secret underwater lair? Perhaps one inside an active volcano?"

The four gang members laughed lightly, as Alfonso's ears lowered in chagrin.

"We have many points all over the world where we meet up, which location we meet at depends on which is the most convenient for the majority of us at the given time."

"Oh," was all the coyote replied back with.

The chameleon grasped a small spherical device near the center of the table. He flipped a compartment on the side of it open, typing a code with his dexterous fingers. After typing out the code, he lightly slid the device back to the center.

A bright orb of light formed and hovered over the sphere. The orb glowed bright azure and rose a few inches higher in the air before it transformed into a transparent screen.

The spider lifted his oddly curved hand and touched the screen, bringing up an array of files and images.

"Alfonso," the spider addressed him.

"Yes?"

He eyed him with a stoic expression as he began to sift through files and photos on the screen. "So that you're absolutely clear, once you are involved with the Slascherr Gang, you'll be indebted to us for the remainder of your life…"

Alfonso merely smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I was in the mafia. I know a thing or two about runnin' around with gangs."

"And," the spider continued, his black and gold eyes glowing eerily as he glanced up at the Italian canine, "betrayal to our gang is punishable by death."

Alfonso was given piercing stares of intimidation by the other four, but with a grave look, he nodded. "Yea…yes, yes I understand."

"Wonderful." The spider's long fingers drummed along the tabletop as he smiled in excitement. He then returned to scanning the screen in front of him. He searched the multiple internet files displayed before him. "I think you'll find that joining us will be the most rewarding choice you could have made, Mr. De Luca."

"Your first assignment will be aiding us in retrieving an item by means of purloining," the avian spoke up.

Having never heard the word before, the coyote's bushy brows furrowed over his eyes. "Purloining?" he repeated.

"As in steal," the avian girl further explained, her massive wings ruffling at her sides.

"Oh." Alfonso ran his fingers through his coarse, matted head fur. "Right, sure, you got it." He looked to his new allies cautiously. "What are we gonna be stealing?"

In answer to his question, the spider continued scouring through files, suddenly stopping at a particular link. He pressed the screen with an eager finger, and a 3-D model of a solid block appeared on the screen. His eyes widened and his smile grew, revealing his fangs.

"Yes. There it is. The Kairos Prism."

Across the globe, in his home of the city off the coast, Le Havre France, it was currently 8 in the morning, and Rascal Cooper was being chased.

The young foxcoon sprinted wildly down the hallways, his pursuer hot on his trail. He rounded corners at blinding speeds, not concerned at this point if he broke that very expensive vase his father had stolen after lightly knocking it with his tail as he ran by. It rocked back and forth, but luckily didn't fall over.

Rascal breathed in short gasps as he ran, and the young boy cried out as he tripped over something. He stumbled to the floor, glaring down at the toy truck that he held personally responsible for causing the hindrance to his escape. Even though it was his own doing, for he'd left out in the hallway after playing with it before bed last night.

His pursuer now closer than ever, Rascal's mahogany eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. He darted down the upstairs hallway that seemed to drag on for miles. But he couldn't give in and let the enemy catch him. He just had to get to his parents' room and he'd be safe.

He quickly looked over his shoulder. The gap between them was far too close for comfort. He swiftly whipped his head back around, facing straight ahead. And perfect timing too, for a second later, and he would've run smack into the door at the end of the hallway.

He stood on his tiptoes, struggling to reach the doorknob to that very door. The door to his parents' room. Where he'd be safe. He just had to get inside.

A victorious feeling overtook him as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Like a bolt of lightning, he rocketed across the room and clambered up the side of the bed. He lifted the thick comforter to reveal a rather large bushy ringed tail. He grabbed the end of it and climbed up it like a rope, bringing forth a sleepy groan of protest from the adult raccoon it belonged to. But that didn't stop the little Rascal. He climbed up his father's back and up close to his face. He then nestled up next to him under the covers. "Dad! Dad she's chasing me again!" he said, trying to catch his breath. With his small fists, he grabbed at his dad's t-shirt, trying to shake him awake. "Daddy!"

"Mmmm?" Sly asked, his eyes still closed. "Who is?"

As an answer to his question, the 'she' Rascal was referring to ran in: his kit sister, Callista. She scurried up and peeked over her parents' bedside, her fox ears swiveling.

Rascal curled up into a ball against Sly's chest. "Hide me," he whispered.

"Why are you hiding from your sister?" a still half-asleep Sly asked his son.

"I just wanted to play with you, big brother," Callista pouted softly, poking her lip out.

A chuckle sounded from Sly as he opened one eye and looked over at his three-year-old daughter, her silky red and blue curls nearly reaching her shoulders now. He smiled down at her. "Awww is your brother running away from you, sweetheart?"

"Calli was trying to make me have a tea party with her and her plushies!" Rascal whined, his nose crinkling. "That's icky girly stuff." He stuck his tongue out in disgust.

Sly's lips just barely pulled up into a small smirk. He yawned and turned over to face his daughter. He smiled sleepily at her as she peeked over the bedside, just the tiniest bit too short to climb up on her own yet. He leaned over and held his arms out to her. "C'mere my angel," he said to her.

She jumped into his arms and he laughed as he pulled her up onto the bed, placing her on his chest. She snuggled up to him happily, her auburn and black ringed tail flicking back and forth.

Sly kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. His eyes barely cracked open, he whispered to her, "Shouldn't you still be in bed?" he joked with a smile.

She giggled and shook her head, her curls swaying with the abrupt movement. "Nu-uh Daddy, I'm not sleepy no more!"

"Well I am," he said to her, his eyes beginning to shut. "Think I'll snooze a little longer."

"Daaady," the two kits whined in unison.

"No, don't go back to sleep Dad," Rascal pleaded, tugging his arm with a frown.

"Yea Daddy, you gotta wake up now," Callista told him, tugging his other arm.

"Mm," he mumbled, looking as if he was quickly falling back asleep.

The two foxcoon kits crawled on top of him, pulling at the fabric of his blue t-shirt, to no avail.

Callista looked to her brother. "I think he falled asleep again," she mumbled.

Just then, Sly's eyes snapped open and he lunged forward with a loud growl. The two kits screamed in reaction. The raccoon father pinned them down in a playful manner and proceeded to tickle them.

They squealed and giggled loudly, but were no match for their father. All they could do was giggle and squirm as he tickled them mercilessly.

When he figured they'd had all they could take, he stopped tickling and wrapped them in a hug. "Alright, you kiddos, I'm up, now give me a chance to wake Mommy up and we'll be right down."

"Ok!" they chirped. They shimmied off the large bed and hopped off, running to the door.

"C'mon Calli," Rascal said to her, and she followed quickly behind.

Sly watched them leave, listening as the two kits bounded down the stairs, their little voices growing softer and softer.

When he could no longer hear anything outside of the bedroom, he stretched his arms high above his head with another lengthy yawn. He then turned on his side and inched over to the cocoon of blankets. Somewhere within this cocoon of blankets and sheets lay his sleeping wife, Carmelita. Or, Carmelita Montoya Cooper, to be more precise. Even to this day, there were times Sly couldn't believe she really was married to him, and was all his. But he'd look down at the wedding band on his finger and could only smile and shake his head.

After all they'd been through together, after the dangers they'd faced and rendezvous they'd shared, after traveling the world in pursuit of what they each felt was right, they'd finally found their way into each other's' hearts, which couldn't have felt more right for either of them.

Of course, it didn't start out like the dream come true it was now. In the beginning, Constable Cooper had a small moment of weakness that could've destroyed his relationship with the love of his life permanently.

For a while it did, and it didn't seem like there was any way to fix what he'd done.

His saving grace came in the form of a baby, his first born son, Rascal.

Carmelita knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she'd always loved Sly and had an intimate connection with him. But putting aside something as heavily engrained as her black and white views on the law was just not something she could do. An Inspector was simply who she was, and a thief was who Sly was. He couldn't just walk away from who he was either.

It was while Carmelita carried Rascal that she realized that what she shared with Sly was so much more important than a rendezvous here and there, chases, and flirty chit-chat. Now her own flesh and blood was involved. And she didn't have it in her to tell her son he couldn't be like his own father. Becoming a mother had changed her, for good.

The lines had blurred, and she'd finally seen that what Sly and his gang did for a living wasn't truly criminal after all.

But if she were to tear apart her own family, that would be criminal. So instead of forcing Sly to conform and be what she wanted him to be, she joined him in his efforts.

And the day she'd told Sly she'd become a thief for the sake of keeping their family whole was truly one of the happiest days of his life, right up there with his wedding day and the day Rascal was born.

Five years later they were still blissfully in love, and now had three kits. Three beautiful little foxcoons, each one possessing some traits from both their raccoon father and vixen mother.

Sly slipped his arms around his sleeping wife and began to kiss the back of her head. He ran his nose through her curly cobalt blue locks of hair. With gentle fingers, he pushed a few locks away from her neck, and lowered his head, running his nose through the fur on the back of her neck.

Carmelita shivered from the cold contact of his nose on her neck and mumbled quietly.

Sly took a deep inhale of her scent as his hands roamed over her waist. He started placing kisses on her cheek and shoulder, only to have her groan and feebly shove him away. "Mmnh!" she mumbled.

A grin spreading across his muzzle, he chuckled and continued to kiss her despite her soft grumbles. "Mon amour," he said between kisses. "I don't know if you're aware, but our kids are awake." Another kiss planted on her shoulder. "It's time for us to be good parents and greet the day with them."

"Mmh-mmhh," Carmelita mumbled in objection, pulling the covers up over her.

Sly snickered, embracing her closely from behind. "Oh yes," he whispered. "Come on, Mrs. Cooper."

Carmelita yawned and then rolled over so that she was facing him. Her brown eyes focused on his, she gave him a sleepy smile and nuzzled her face into his chest. "I can't have just five more minutes?"

Sly smiled back at her deviously, his eyebrow arched. "Well," he said as he sifted his fingers through her sea of blue hair. "It depends on what you want to use those five minutes for."

She grinned back at him, the end of her muzzle scrunched in amusement. She linked her arms around his neck and meshed her lips with his in a tender good morning kiss.

The kiss didn't last very long, for several moments later, the whining of an infant could be heard down the hall.

They parted from their kiss, though their lips still touched.

Their breathing intermingled, Sly whispered, "Sounds like Robbie's up."

"Roberto," Carmelita corrected.

Sly gave her an 'oh come on now' smirk, and in response she narrowed her eyes.

"You promised at least one of our children could have a Spanish name," she reminded him with a stern frown.

Tilting his head innocently, he asked, "Isn't Callista Spanish?"

"It's Greek," she retorted flatly.

He laughed and stroked her cheek, his eyes harboring that playful gleam as he looked at her, one of his traits she adored about him.

"I know," said Sly, "and we can call him Roberto, just, later, when he's older...like sixteen."

She responded with a disgruntled roll of her eyes.

He grinned and shifted so he was lying atop her, his tail swishing about before he rested it atop hers. He placed a kiss on her nose, nuzzling her cheek. "Oh come on babe, you know Robbie's a cute nickname for him right now. It really fits him well, it sounds so sweet and innocent."

Carmelita snorted a short laugh. "He's not totally innocent you know…he's taking after you in the mischief department."

Sly's smug expression told her that he was incredibly proud of that small fact. "Yep. He's learning early."

Carmelita laughed, smiling up at him, and as Robbie's whining grew louder, she resolved that it wasn't even worth arguing over.

He kissed her crimson lips, and they brushed noses.

"Ok, I'll get breakfast started if you go get…Robbie," she told him.

The bright grin returning to his face, he pecked her on the cheek, "You got it, beautiful," he murmured.

He rolled over so she could get up. He watched as she arched her back, stretching her arms out in front of her, and slipped off the bed. His eyes followed his lovely vixen as she left room and headed down the hallway, watching her hips sway, her auburn tail flicking and swishing with each step she took. If she only knew how wild she drove him with an action as minor as walking.

He stretched his arms and legs, hearing his joints pop, and he leaped off his cozy bed. He walked down the hall, stopping at the door where the small cries were emanating from.

He opened the door and stepped into Robbie's room, a small nursery with walls of a light blue hue and stuffed animals in nearly every corner the room had to offer. To the far right of the nursery stood a fair-sized wooden crib. And peeking over the side of that crib was little Robbie, small tears falling from his bright blue eyes. He was whining as he reached out for his father, his hands as high in the air as he could lift them.

Sly walked over and picked him up. "Well hello there," he said as he wiped away his tears. He lifted him up in the air and smiled at him. "You didn't think Daddy would just leave you in here, now did you?"

Now out of the confinements of his crib and in his dad's grasp, Robbie squealed in delight, the features on his masked face filled with joy. Sly brought him closer, touching noses with him. "Good morning," he said to him in a warm voice.

Robbie smiled and buried his face into Sly's chest, babbling away.

Sly held him securely to his chest and planted a kiss on the tuft of fur atop his small head. In response, Robbie cooed and beamed up at him.

It was almost eerie, how Robbie so closely resembled Sly's own father. He looked exactly like him.

Well, almost.

The bushy solid gray tail he possessed was a fox tail, no rings to be seen on it, a trait from his mother. Excluding his tail, he looked like a full-blooded raccoon.

But ringed tail or not, he was still Sly's son. And Sly loved him more than he'd ever know.

Downstairs, Carmelita was flipping pancakes, half-singing, half-humming a song in Spanish. With Callista on her hip, she used her free hand to flip the first pancake onto the plate by the stove and pour the last bit of batter onto the pan.

"Mommy, can I taste the batter?" Callista asked. "Please?"

Carmelita grinned down at her. "Alright, but just a little taste."

"Can I have some too Momma?" asked another small voice.

The blue-haired vixen looked to her other side to see Rascal, giving an innocent, hopeful smile as he hugged her leg.

"Of course, just not too much, ok?"

She spooned the very last bit of batter out of the mixing bowl and let each kit taste it. And then with a playful smile she dipped her finger into the spoonful of batter and dotted it on their noses, which made them start giggling.

"Mom!" they said through their laughter.

At that moment, Sly was walking downstairs, carrying his youngest in his arms. His ears twitched while he listened to the kitchen fill with laughter. He peeked around the doorway of their cozy kitchen to see Carmelita wiping bits of batter off Rascal and Callista's faces. Then she scooped them both up and cuddled them close, peppering their faces with tiny kisses.

Sly leaned against the doorway leading to the kitchen, that loving smile crossing his gray muzzle. All those years they'd played cat and mouse, he'd always looked on her with a deep fondness and admiration. He'd always felt like he had a true connection with her.

And now, he looked upon her with a new and wonderful kind of fondness, for now she wasn't only his lover, but was now his wife.

And the mother of his children.

As Carmelita put the two down so they could run off and play in the living room, she noticed Sly at the doorway, just watching her from a distance.

"There's my other two boys!" she greeted them as she poked at the sizzling strips of bacon in the pan on the back burner.

Sly walked up to her and she bent down to tickle her baby's cheek with her finger. "Did you sleep good sweetie?" she asked the baby foxcoon.

As an answer to her question, Robbie rubbed at his eyes and sighed.

Sly made his way over to the cupboard and got out a jar of baby food. He carried Robbie into the breakfast nook and placed him in his high chair. "There we go buddy," said Sly as he rubbed the infant kit's ears.

Once Carmelita appeared around the corner with a full plate of pancakes and syrup and set them on the table, Sly headed into the living room for the remaining little Coopers.

Callista was chasing Rascal around the coffee table, both out of breath from running and laughing as they rushed around in circles like race cars speeding around a track.

"Alright kiddos, calm it down, time to eat," their father told them.

Without any warning, Rascal dashed over and leaped into Sly's arms. Taken off guard, Sly would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for his swift reflexes. He smirked down at his son. "Oh so I'm supposed to carry you the short distance to the table, is that it?" he joked with him lightly.

With a wide grin, Rascal nodded several times. "Mhm!" he said.

Sly snorted a laugh and swung him up onto his shoulders. Young Callista walked at her father's side.

Sly's ears suddenly perked to the ringing of his cell phone, coming from upstairs in his bedroom. He looked down at Rascal and placed him in the nearest chair. "I'll be right back, guys," he said to his family before turning and bounding up the stairs.

He ran into his room and swiped his phone off of his nightstand. A toothy grin adorning his face, he pressed the 'accept call' button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sly!" the nasally voice replied. "It's been a while."

"Sure has Bent! Man, how've you been?"

"Good, really good actually. Penelope and I have been making lots of progress on studies we've made in the lab, and she loves the new house. It looks right off the coast, we're practically always at the beach, and the view from the house is stunning, I must admit."

"That's awesome pal! That's so great to hear." It was hard for Sly to believe that it had been 4 years now since the gang had split up. They weren't split up in any permanent way, but after living together, the three couples realized they all desired a bit of space. Besides, Sly and Carmelita had a family to raise.

He wondered how Murray and Tabby were doing after they'd moved to San Marino.

"How are things on your end?" Bentley asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Things here are great too man. Carmelita's been homeschooling the kids and I've been job hunting a little, just to keep from raising suspicion from our nosy neighbors."

They both laughed.

"Smart move," Bentley remarked. "Well listen, the reason I called is because I have something really important to tell you, regarding the development of the time machine."

"Oh?" the raccoon asked. "I'm all ears."

"Well I'll spare you the more intricate explanations and complex terminology of our findings and get right to the point. We may have found a proper power source for the time machine."

"Really? Wow, that's great Bent! What is it, and how're you gonna get it?"

"Well, see that's the thing," the turtle answered. "That's what I need your help with Sly. If we're going to retrieve it, we're going to have to steal it."

"Steal?" Sly asked, a frown clouding his features.

There was a short pause. "Correct. You see, the device I've been researching is called the Kairos Prism, an iridescent gem in the shape of a perfect prism. The power contained within it is said to be so powerful, it's apparently been around for centuries, used for an array of different things, but its power has never been used to its full potential. I believe with its molecular makeup, it has the capabilities of creating a wormhole to use for time travel. And according to the backlog report I have here, it's being transported to the museum in Le Havre this very weekend."

There was another pause.

"Sly…is something the matter?"

Sly ran a hand through his disheveled head fur and sat down on his side of the bed. "Well…no, not really. It's just…I haven't stolen in years Bentley. I mean, pickpocketing along and along, sure, but it's just been so long since I've been out on a real heist." He bit his lip. "I might be a little rusty."

"Ah nonsense," his friend stated in disagreement. "You can handle it, I know you can. It's a very simple lift, just go in, grab it, and jump through the nearest open window, like always. I'll take care of the security system and all that, and we can round up Murray to ensure a fast getaway."

Sly smiled, a small chuckle resonating in his chest. "Ah, good ole' Murray." He really did miss his hippo friend.

"It'll be just like old times," Sly mused in a murmur.

"Exactly! So, can I count on you? This prism may be the crucial piece we've been after this whole time."

Sly rubbed his chin and nodded. "Yea…yea I'm in, you know you can always count on me. Just…"

"Just what, Sly?" Bentley prompted after a few moments.

Sly rubbed at the back of his neck hesitantly, listening to his children laughing and talking with Carmelita downstairs. "I just wanna make sure this is all we have to do, I don't wanna get involved in anything bigger than this one small heist, alright pal? Not right now anyway. Carm and I have our kids to look after."

"I promise Sly," Bentley said to him. "This is the only thing you have to do. After getting the prism for me, you won't have to get involved in anything bigger."

His lips pressed together tightly, Sly nodded. "Alright, I'll do it."

Little did Bentley know that they would all in fact be thrown into the conglomeration of something bigger than a museum heist.

Much bigger.

And it begins. :)

See you guys next chapter!