Chapter 2 Mysterious Walking Items
Ding Dong
Sly James Cooper sighed drearily. How he hated this past week. If it's not Milo it's the phone. If it's not the phone, it's the temperature. If it's not the temperature it's the door! He shot the ceiling an angry glare. When I open that door YOU had better be there! He slipped out of the covers so as not to disturb Carmelita, who had just an hour ago finally gone to sleep.
He put on his house shoes and walked into the second floor corridor. To his everlasting shame, even though he made sure to put all the toys away every night, there always seemed to be something there with the sole intention of tripping him like a novice. They seemed to just sprout legs and crawl out into the hall. It made no sense to him that whenever Milo would cry and it would be Carmelita's turn to check, she would get there without incident, but not with him. Oh no! He would trip over things that he didn't even know they owned, such a skateboard, a copy of War and Peace, a ball of yarn, and many other miscellaneous objects. It was very embarrassing for him to be tripping over such things. He was a master thief and the middle of the night was supposed to be his element. Not anymore. Sly didn't tell his wife because she would never let him hear the end of it. He had gotten used to waking up at 7 AM. Not two. And yet it seemed Milo was trying to get him back into the habit of late nights, or just switch off of decaf.
Sly somewhat adapted to the stray items in the floor and would jump over a few thing if he could see them by the light of his cell phone. Toy car, crayon, paper, jacks, Hunt for Red October . . . Where the hell was this all coming from?!
He got to the top of the stairs when a childish idea hit him. Why not? It had been years when he had last had any practice at it. Carm would never know. Sly put the Slvr in his pocket and grinned like his old self. He did a little jump and landed on the stair rail silently. His grin got even wider as he slid down the rail so easily that it was almost second nature to jump off at the end.
Sly smiled to himself and turned on the living room light. While he would go through the hallway without the lights, the living room was like no-man's-land without them. He couldn't find his way through this room no matter how he tried. Especially that . . . couch! No matter how he tried, he couldn't remember that couch was there and he would always stub his foot on it every time. Not to mention the crap he would hit, like DVD rentals, the remote, etc. . . . He didn't know it, but Carmelita liked to move the furniture, logical explanation there. But it wasn't of much use to him if he didn't know it. Now he could see perfectly and that incessant ringing of the doorbell was really getting on his nerves. Sly went forward and grabbed the door handle.
He turned the knob and woe to his drowsiness that a whole fanfare of whistles and noise makers. If he wasn't awake then he definitely was now!
By the time he got through peeling himself off the wall from the blast of sound, he could see who had destroyed his ear drums. Standing there was the COOPER GANG! WHAT! Right there before him were all his old friends! Bentley was at the forefront in his wheelchair in his normal garb of his shell, shorts, bowtie, and glasses. Penelope sat in his lap with a smile on her face and gold, diamond studded ring on her figure. Sly noticed that she seemed to be in a rather large looking baby blue shirt with a bit of a bulge in the front that didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what had happened. Dmitri stood beside the married couple in his old green and purple pimp suit with his arm leaning on Bentley's head. And of course he couldn't be five minutes without his cigarette hanging limply out of his mouth. The Panda King stood behind them all in his blue monk robes from his self induced exile and with a bit of a growing beard again. The Guru was on his shoulder with a noise maker in one hand and his customary walking stick with the moonstone attached.
Sly smiled at the reunion and ushered the surprises inside. Thought it took some doing to get the Panda King in. He went up stairs to get his wife only to find her already up with Milo in her arms asleep though it looked like he had just stirred in the blue blankets he was wrapped in. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and ushered her downstairs to see everyone.
"Hello people I'm not supposed to know!" he greeted them with a smirk which brought a laugh from the group. "I would like to introduce you total strangers to my wife and partner, Carmelita Montoya Fox Cooper, and our newest edition, Milo Raphael Cooper."
The much expected and resounding awwww could be heard even in Sly and Carmelita's un-caffinated state. Each and every one of them took a turn to look at the sleeping child with so many cutesy faces that it made Sly's stomach turn. Surprisingly, Dmitri got the most emotional. He couldn't help but cry tears of joy and make very loud comments on how 'hip and jive' they were. The Panda Kin made very monotone sentences on the joys and pains of parenthood and how he awaited them for his daughter. Bentley said he had always wanted to be a crazy uncle. That would be fun!
They had a few sips of wine that they had but never enough for Dmitri who said they should have tons, but Penelope declined the wine for some lemonade mixed with strawberries and coconut, which sly still happened to have. Sly found out that Bentley had a present for him in the van, the Cooper Team Van!
It was still theirs! Bentley took Sly outside to see it and oh what a shock he got. It was still the same with the satellite dish and other gadgets sticking out of it but it was green! Plain field green with nothing else!
"Um, Bentley, why did you turn the world upside down?" Sly said with his mouth brushing against the pavement.
Bentley smiled and put something into Sly's hand. IT was a long thin piece of worn black fabric with two holes in the middle of it. "I think you'll find it a lot easier to look with these."
Sly did as instructed and placed the fabric over his eyes. Almost instantly the green changed to blue and the familiar blue and white raccoon like symbol was on the side. Couldn't have the correctional authorities seeing that now could they? "Impressive, Bentley. You've out done yourself."
The turtle smiled again. "I thought you didn't know who I was, Constable Cooper."
Same old Bentley. Sly laughed at his old partner and asked. "I know you had something else to show me other than the neat paint job. What is it? UFO? A teenage Carmelita's diary, it would have to be teenage, cause I found all the others."
"You mean 'stole?'
Sly shrugged. "Well?"
Bentley rolled to the back of the van and opened the back door. A long box was just sitting there with a card attached to it. Bentley picked up the box and handed it to Sly. "I been holding these since the island and I thought this would be the perfect time to give 'em back to you. Milo will need them someday."
Sly opened the box to see the most wonderful gifts his entire life, other than Milo. A long golden hooked cane was there along with a much ruffed up book with in Latin printed the words Theivious Racconus. And a little red leg satchel with a few little gizmos stuffed into it. "Thanks Bentley. I probably never should have left them, but . . ." He turned his face back towards the house where one could see the Carmelita holding Milo and giving Penelope tips on something or another.
'I know, Sly," Bentley said. "You did what you had to do. But there's more I need to tell you," his voice turned suddenly grave and edgy. "I hope you noticed the number of the group that came here tonight.'
Sly's happiness faded away as those words came. Sly hadn't noticed that the second of his virtual brothers wasn't there. Murray. The big guy was nowhere to be found. Bentley reached into a pocket on the wheelchair to pull out a much smaller box. "Here," he said serious, "this will explain the situation."
Sly took the box from his friend's hand with trembling fear. What had happened to the hippo? Was he hurt? In jail? Captured? Vanished? Many grotesque pictures of Murray being tortured by silhouetted figures warped through his brain even as he took the box from Bentley. The lid slid off and fell to the ground with a small 'thunk.' Inside were only a few little items but they meant a lot for the world class cop. A Mexican wrestling mask with places for the eyes and mouth, two gloves and a small CD of some sort. "Listen to that disk, after we leave. We can't stay too long here. When you've decided call the number on the bottom of the box. We'll talk then."
Bentley went into the house and started everyone out the door. Dmitri said he could 'hook the kid up with some bling juice' but he was adamantly shut down on that idea. The idea of a Cooper with his taste of fashion was unbearable. Sly kept his smile forced throughout the whole thing, which Carmelita noticed but said nothing. When finally the Panda King and the Guru pulled a begging Dmitri off of Sly's leg the last of the gang left.
Sly closed the door behind them. Why did this have to happen? And what did Bentley mean by 'your decision?' This was going to be difficult and he knew it.
He went back up to the bedroom. He turned around to see a scowling Italian fox woman. Not good.
I am soooooooooooo sorry about leaving this story to rot like it has. I plan to do a chapter of the next Life next and then do chapter three of this. I know someone is going to complain about that but that's all I can do to be fair. Deal with it. And what has happened to The Murray?! Find out on the next installment of the Bet of the Law! MUHAHAHAHAHA!
Now let's do the great and wonderful review answers!
amishparadise428-Thanks and I hope you continue to read this!
Silver Sentinel-I plan to keep the work up and frequent.
Jessica- I hope it gets better too. Thanks!
Kaiyt-Thanks, my niece and nephew had just got done watching Atlantis and I thought it was a good name.
zero doujin infinite-I hope you get to see more too!
BlueIrish-It doesn't get old. It just a funny concept him being a cop.
flowergirl220- of course Carmelita would find out, she is a detective. Now lets' see what else she had dug up
ONWARD OT THE WONDERFUL LAND OF PIZZA AND DR. PEPPER! YAY!
