I was going to post this earlier this week, but my neighbor shot my year old puppy to death, and injured one of the others. The shock still hasn't worn off yet. And I'm trying to keep busy so I'm not just sitting around crying over Lil' Trooper. God I miss that little guy.

The first thing his mind registered was a dull throbbing pain jack hammering his skull. As he slowly regained consciousness, a wave of nausea washed over him. He carefully opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. Holding his head in his hands he tried to piece together the circumstances that had left him in his current situation.

Confusion clouded his thoughts. Looking around for a familiar sight to indicate his location he noticed his cane lying on the ground a few feet away. Trying to stand he managed to get as far as his knees before the nausea returned and forced him back onto the ground.

Curled up in the fetal position, he waited for the pain ease. As the pain relaxed its grip on him, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, and crawled over to the wall nearest to him. Clutching his head he leaned on the wall, and finally managed to get to his feet. He was in an alley. A familiar alley he had been in and around many times over the years, it was just a few blocks from home. Something was different about it, he paused trying to figure out what was amiss. Unable to pinpoint it, he shrugged his shoulders, and slowly walked over to retrieve his heirloom cane.

After grabbing his cane he froze in his tracks as the memory of a battle hard fought and won flashed across his mind. He muttered, "Le Paradox you bastard, I owe you." Thoughts of revenge danced around in his head. It would serve the skunk right if he just let Carmelita handle him. "Carmelita… she must be worried, after the blimp exploded she might fear the worst. I've gotta get home and let her know I'm alive."

He could call the guys from the apartment he shared with Carmelita. Maybe she would feel sorry for him, and let him come home. The thought of a gratefully sympathetic vixen sent him into a mad dash for hopefully open arms. Charging down the alley, pushing past the pain, he climbed over the dead end's brick wall. A couple of alley ways later and his target building was in view.

Being so close to reaching his goal gave him an adrenaline rush, as he grabbed the drain pipe, and rocketed upwards. Grinning the biggest grin he could manage, while gripping his cane between his teeth, his thoughts traveled to a certain vixen. 'As pathetic as I must look she just has to forgive me.'

Hopping from the pipe to the buildings' ledge, easing around the corner, and onto an all too familiar balcony, he paused to brace himself for a possibly violent reaction from a fiery fox.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he crept over to the balcony's French doors.

What Sly Cooper saw inside devastated him.

I don't own Sly Cooper or the rest of the gang. Like I said earlier, I'm just trying to distract myself from thinking about all the things that are still too painful to do without Lil' T. Thanks for reading.