June 4, 2027
Paris, France
11:03 PM

JACK:

Jessa's yells roared through the night as Kyle leaped up the side of the building, laughing his head off. As he entered the fourth floor window, the jaguar calmed her voice, fuming as she sat on the hood of her car. I stepped out of the car, and she looked up at me.

"I'm going to kill him…just so you know."

I covered my mouth with my hand, holding back a laugh. "I'll get the shovel again. But we cannot keep killing all our best friends when they do not do as you instruct them to." I said in my best multi-million dollar voice, still loving how I was just not Jack for the evening. Her green eyes pierced at me in the darkness, and started cursing at Kyle through her ear piece.

"Come on, Jessa. What is the big deal?"

She looked at me again and sighed. "The big deal is that…well…it is a bit hard to understand." Knowing her forever, I knew what she was mostly thinking about. The fact that she thought her grandfather had wanted her to be a thief…

"What, with you thinking your grandfather wanted you to become a thief?"

"Well, I believe he wanted me to help Kyle become a thief." I just stared at her. "Look, I do not truly understand it yet, but I am starting to put together all the puzzle pieces." She looked off into the starless night, and I knew I was getting nothing more out of her.

It was a few moments of silence, Jessa in deep thought and Kyle making his way towards the painting. Then, Jessa clenched her head, falling from the hood of the car to her knees on the ground, whimpering in pain. I got to her in two long strides, catching her as she started falling to her side. Her arms lay limp at her side.

"Jessa?" I shook her, getting only a small response. Her eyelids opened a slim bit, showing no longer her normal green eyes, but a swirling mist of a pink, purple color.

"Run…" She whispered—eyes closed and her breathing shallow—but before I could even get up, two large animals jumped from the shadows.

"Why, what do we have here, Benji? Fresh meat trying to take our painting." The shorter one the two said. In the dark I could make out him as a lizard, his friend Benji being a large hippo.

"Looks like we're gonna have to deliver a pounding." The hippo said in return, pounding a fist into his palm. I let Jessa fall to the ground as I stood up. For as long all I could remember, I was always one of the bigger kids in my class…my mom told me I was tall and muscular just like my dad. But all that strength was useless against probably one of the biggest mammals I had ever seen.

I gulped, but on my best fighting accent. Who could go wrong with Irish? "Look here mates. Me and the lass were here first. Now why dontcha all just scram before I kick all yer asses?" I growled, puffing out my chest.

The lizard smiled, and took a step forward sticking out his hand towards the unconscious cat. "I don't think you are in the best position to bluff, man." Instantly, his eyes turned a pink purple color, and Jessa started screaming on the ground, her limp legs trying to run from something.

"Stop it!" I barked, but the lizard just smiled.

"Now come on big boy. I think you promised me a fight." The hippo said boldly, stepping towards me. I knew I was going to end up in jail tonight. I just knew it… I thought. Kyle was gone, Jessa was in pain, and I am screwed. My ma is going to shoot me…

The hippo came closer, drawing back his fist. I took a step forward, hoping I would be able to do anything before knocked me out. His fist flew, and for a big guy, it flew fast. The gloved fist hit with his first two knuckles right a crossed my jaw, making me stumble towards the street. I fell to one knee, breathing hard. This guy knows how to fight, I thought, taking a breath to keep from blacking out. He just smirked, waiting for me to step up again.

And with my amazing luck, another figure popped right in front of me. Not from any shadows or anything…she just appeared. She was smaller then the other two, but the way she looked made me fear her more then the other two combined. The tiny girl—a mouse I believe—looked ready to kick some ass. Adding insult to injury, she dropped a body next to me—Kyle, breathing, but as if he was sleeping." Knock it out…both of you." The shadow commanded the older males. "The cops are coming…we will leave these three for them."

"Hold it Meg. We need to take them with us…" The lizard, his eyes still a smoky color. He talked in a daze. I wasn't sure if it was the street lights manipulating his face, but he looked confused. The mouse just turned sharply at him.

"Why?" She snapped.

"Because…the girl knows a lot. And I think this guy," the lizard explained, nodding to Kyle, "might be Cooper's kid." I don't know what these guys would use Jessa's knowledge for, but I wasn't going to let them hurt my friends…especially if they are villains that want revenge on Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. The mouse thought it over as I spoke up.

"I'm not going anywhere with you three! None of us are!"

"Well, you can stay here with the cops…but these two are coming with me." The mouse said smugly. She pulled out a pistol, aiming it at me. I gulped.

"If you hurt him, I will tell everything about your father to the authorities, Megan Key." A voice said quietly, but loud enough for the mouse to drop her jaw and gun. I looked to my side, and the feline had slightly picked up her head, her eyes still pink-ish purple. The jaguar glared—her eyes still in a haze of pink. The lizard moaned, tightening his fist, concentrating harder on whatever he was doing to Jessa. Her eyelids closed again, and she was as still as Kyle.

"She's telling the truth." The lizard moaned.

The mouse growled. "Benji, get the car to a parking garage…no speed racing! Jason, let her go, and find out everything that she knows once we get back to the safehouse." The two did what they were told, both the lizard and jaguar giving a deep groan as the lizard's eyes stopped glowing—yet Jessa stayed in an unconscious state. The mouse lifted her pistol again. "Goodnight." She hissed angrily as she shot, and a small needle hit my neck.

"You know, the girl told you not to hurt him." The hippo commented. My eyes started drooping, and I feel to my side.

"Please, both of these boys wouldn't be hurt by this tiny little needle." She grinned, putting the pistol away.

"You and your dad scare me sometimes with your inventions." He said, shaking his head as he got into the car. I blinked a few more times as the mouse came closer, pulling out a cell phone. As I started falling asleep, I finally heard the police sirens.

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KYLE:

I yawned, stretching out. My arm hit a leg, and I knew I was asleep on the couch at Jack's. I sniffed the air hoping to smell blueberry pancakes.

"Christ…it's about time you woke up." I immediately jumped up, falling behind the couch and between the wall. I stuck my head out over the edge. The apartment was impressive, filled with only the best furniture and décor. On the couch was Jack, fast asleep. On the love seat, the jaguar was asleep, but kept tossing and turning. Next to her, a lizard murmured to the cat, only looking at me for the briefest second before turning his eerie bright pink eyes back to Jessa. And the voice came for a seat on the far end of the room. The mouse glared at me with a look that could kill.

"Well, beautiful. I didn't know you would take me home so soon." I commented, trying to figure out what happened after she had shot me in the neck with a tiny needle in the museum.

"Funny. Now who are your parents." She said sourly.

"I already told you Meg." The lizard commented.

"Hush!" She hissed at her partner. "Now, who are they?"

"None of your business." Clearly the mouse wasn't in a mood to play. She hopped up, crossing the room in a flash. I moved faster, dodging her. The mouse was light on her feet, and I just smirked as she landed with ease on the back of the couch. She frowned, unhappy with having missed me. She leaped again, running straight at me. After years of fighting with Carmen, I had enough experience to fake left and spin to the right at last second as I put my leg out. The mouse tripped over my leg, almost crashing into the expensive carpet.

"Well…they seem to like each other…" I turned sharply to see my dad come out of nowhere. Next to him was this huge hippo and a turtle in a wheelchair. Unsure who the hippo was, I knew immediately who the turtle was; one of the biggest inventors of the world, responsible for building or funding almost all new inventions and discovers for the past two decades. The big hippo looked like he was going to start cracking up while the turtle just looked disappointed. And my dad—well, the raccoon had a toothy grin on his face. He looked as if this was the happiest day of his life. "And would you mind not trying to mess with Jessa's mind with dreamtime?" He said, motioning to the lizard. The lizard just sighed, and his eyes turned from bright pink to brown. "Now Kyle…how the hell did you do this?"

I gulped. My father, a cop, sounded interested in what I had done. "Kyle…I would like to introduce you to Sly Cooper…alias Inspector Evan Cooper." I heard Jessa whisper weakly from the couch as she tried to sit up. The lizard tried to help her, but Jessa just swatted him away. The mouse just continued to glare at me.

"Correct, Jessica. But I would like to know how you figured all of this out. And I'm sure this guy next to me would like to make sure no one else figures it out." My dad added, pointing to the turtle, and my jaw basically dropped to the ground. My father…the cop? Actually, it would be my mother the cop…my father the criminal. Reasons saying this was true filled my mind: Why my grandparents hated him, why he hated the way the law worked yet still became a cop, why he couldn't "remember" any of his past. Yet…my dad could not possibly be Sly Cooper?

I wasn't given much time to think it over before Jack cried out. "AHHH! Don't hurt the smurfs…they are cutie little blue raspberries in the third full moon light of summer." He muttered, tossing in his sleep before yawning.

"Smurfs?" I questioned.

"Better then the flying spoons aiming to eat all the ice cream and your toe nails." The mouse smirked. I tried to keep from blushing, but I knew it showed.

My dad looked at the turtle. "Side effect?"

"Only a small one…it was funny enough not to fix it…" The turtle said in a nasally voice as he pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. Jack finally looked up, fully awake, with a look of pure confusion written on his face. It only intensified as a large hippo, the same size as the older one, appeared magically in the room beside him.

The newest addition turned to the mouse. "Parked the car…" and he pulled out a bag of frozen peas from a plastic bag he carried, "And these are for you mate." He said, tossing the peas at the husky. It landed in his lap, the Jack just staring at the Hippo. "Hey…just cuz I beat you don't mean I'm all bad."

"You should put that on your lip, Jack. If he is anything like his father, that lip should be puffing up in about ten minutes or so for the next year." My father instructed, the older hippo next to him grinning at the complement.

"How long were we out?" I asked, still confused what was going on.

"You were out about 10 minutes. Enough time to get you three back here and tell my dad." The mouse explained.

"And enough time to come and bring me down here." My dad added. "Now for story time, I think I will allow Jessa to tell the tale, just so we can see how much see pieced together…if you're up to it of course." The black cat nodded, and began her tale.

She started with the Ancient Egyptians and the first Cooper, making her way to my dad, and his two brothers, Thomas "The Murray" Murphy and Benjamin Theodore "Bentley" Key. She told me and Jack about Happy Camper Orphanage, The Fiendish Five, The KLAWW Gang, the Vault Job, and most important: Clockwerk. Everyone in the room as astonished, either by the story itself (myself and Jack) or the vast amount of information she had pieced together (everyone else).

After the vault job, she told us how my parents went to work together, Murray went back to Australia, and Bentley traveled with the Cooper Gang's grease monkey. The latter built a company called Global Tech, and Bentley and Penelope which plays a big part in today's society. Everyone knew of the genius Key family, and the rising star, Megan Key…who was currently glaring at me as she planned my death.

It was so much that hit me in such a small amount of time. It was no wonder that for the past five days Jessa was in more of her own world then normal. She had figured out the lives of the infamous Cooper Gang in five days, while some took years and years without succeeding.

Unknown

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JESSA:

"So…now what? I'm I grounded? Is mom going to disown me?" Kyle asked cautiously as I finished my story. I could only roll my eyes. A women marring one of the greatest thieves knew that one day her child might become like her lover. Upset of course…but still love him. The inspector had the same thought go through his mind.

"Well, your mother knew that I would be telling you and your brother your heritage on your seventieth birthday. Your mother and I were in the middle of tracking these two down for the proof that I am totally awesome." The elder raccoon said, pointing to Murray and Bentley. Kyle's face lit up at that, while the mouse Megan had a face that turned into a scowl.

"What?" Kyle yelled in excitement as Megan yelled in fury. The younger raccoon just smirked as he turned to the mouse.

"It is my birthright, babe. Meaning that soon I will be a better thief then you and your inventor father." Kyle said smugly, and at a safe distance from the mouse.

"Really? I'm positive that the cat knows more about your family linage then you. And didn't I kick your ass only moments ago?" The mouse snapped back.

"Please, you came up behind me," he commented off-handily.

"A real thief would have heard me," she added with a smirk. Both just glared at each other, as the elder raccoon broke the tension.

"Aww…how cute. They are as friendly as you and I were when we first meet." The inspector said to the turtle.

"Oh no…they are much more civil then you were." The turtle added with a smirk. The inspector just rolled his eyes as the turtle spoke up. "Know that you and your team know the full story, I must ask if you three wish to continue or stop while you are alive. As a thief, you shall earn untold riches, expand your mind and body, and feel good as bad guys are incarcerated and getting a treasure that people said was impossible to steal." The turtle began, with a small smile on his face and the two guys wanting to just yell yes…along with myself. But something stopped us…something in the turtle's face changed and he continued without disruption. "But I shall warn you now, that at any second you can get killed, many people you piss off will be hunting you at all times—both cops and criminals—, and the training will be hard. Seeing we do not want you three to parish, you will do thing by our rules and will follow all of them…at all times. Do not think little of this decision, for this will change your life around 180 degrees for whichever path you choose." The turtle said, ending with a blank face, along with the two other adults. The other three—Benji, Jason, and Megan—were quiet, knowing the speech quiet well. I believed it was the first time that both of my friends have ever listened to a lecture from an adult and thought about it.

The three of us looked at each other. "You know…this could kill us. I do not want you guys getting hurt because of me and my stupid idea. You're not joining." Kyle said defiantly to me and Jack.

"Bullshit. If you had listened to me, we would not even be here in the living room right now. We would be riding around Paris with a fortune. I'm in if your in." I said firmly, both my grandfather—but most importantly myself—, wanting to do this. Kyle sighed in annoyance…but I could tell he was overjoyed I was putting my foot down and joining up. Now it was up to us to make sure that Jack wouldn't join and get himself hu—

"When do we start?" Jack said, looking at the turtle as he placed the bag of peas on the table and stood up.

Megan looked ready to kill, while her partners looked at the new teammates. And the adults? Well, they couldn't hide their enjoyment anymore.

"Tomorrow. And one more thing: this is to go to your grave. Tell no one. One slip up, and I have the power to make everyone think you are clinically insane. You are to dress warmly and ready to work out. Now, to get back to Paris." The turtle said, pulling out his cell phone.

"Back to Paris? Where are we now?" Kyle asked, looking out the window and pulling back the curtains. Down below, you saw all sorts of cars and buildings…all in English writing. Poor Jack was the only one that couldn't understand the writing. Bentley just smirked, and typed into the last few keys into his cell phone, sending us to another apartment. Kyle's eyes and Jack's eyes grew huge, confused how it had happened.

"Should I be concerned how your not concerned?" The turtle asked me out of ear shot of the others as Murray explained the poof to both raccoons and the husky.

"Well…I have found out about you…I believe it is your turn." I said with a devious smile. The turtle looked me up and down, and finally accepting the challenge as he pointed to the door allowing me to go. I nodded, taking my preferred method of leaving.

"Be here at 10 AM sharp Paris time…the three of you!" Murray yelled as I exited the window, meeting with the nightlife of Paris. But I wasn't tired just yet, and poofed to my city of NYC. The place where me and my grandfather spent almost everyday until I was sent to France with my parents when I was eight. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about what that lizard had done to me…probing my mind and leaving me defenseless. Jack could have gotten badly hurt because I failed to protect him…

I just shook my head, and headed to the library for a late night story.

June 4, 2027
Paris, France
2:13 PM

JACK:

"Well, well, well. So nice of you to join us tonight." I bit my lip as I closed the front door. In her usual rocking chair was my mom, dressed in a nightgown and robe. She tapped her foot on the ground. "I believe you said you would be home around one…at the latest! Not two-fifteen, Jack!" My mother hissed, carful not to wake the pups.

"I'm sorry." And it was all I said. After being told what the poofy thing was, we all left to leave, and I saw that Jessa had left without me. Mr. Cooper walked with both Kyle and I on our way to our homes…stopping at mine first. I knew my mom wouldn't be happy and I tonight would start the shitload of lies I would have to start telling her. But, with my new "job," I would have a big way to help out my family…and into a really house in the suburbs.

"Jack…you know you worry me a lot. I want you to be careful." She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. "Please, just be careful." As she held me, it felt like she already knew. Like all the times she knew I had failed a test and hid it from me. Or like when a nine-year-old kitten would come though our window, my mom would know Jessa was fighting with her parents.

"I will. I love you, ma."

"I know sweetheart…and what exactly were you doing with your friends? You smell like some rich old guy."

I smirked…"Jessa kinda felt the need to throw her father's cologne at me." One lie down, countless to go.

June 4, 2027
Paris, France
2:23 PM

KYLE:

"So I have been seventeen for 26 and a half hours…how come you didn't tell me yet?" I whined in the Paris safehouse (Such a cool thing to have). The only ones left were my dad, the turtle, the older hippo, and small angry mouse. Jack raced to go home and Benji (the younger hippo) and Jason (the lizard) made up some excuses when the mouse (Megan) gave them a glare to clear out.

"Well I thought I had a little more time to figure stuff out…and with your grandparents in town…" My dad started his excuse, but the turtle cut him short.

"Sorry, but we have more important things to deal with…such as that jaguar. Who is she, Kyle? How did you two meet?" I thought about the turtle's question. It was actually an odd story. We had gone to school since she moved to Paris when she was eight. I was still unsure how Jack and Jessa became friends. Jessa was…different. Looking at her, you would think she rather be by herself then with people…yet she had the two of us.

"I dunno. She just kinda sat next to me one day when I was eleven, I think." I said, answering his latter question. "She had lived with her parents in New York before moving to Paris when she was little. Her grandfather actually worked for Global Tech…"

"What?" The turtle exclaimed. I just nodded.

"Yeah…a researcher or lawyer or something…Jack knows more about him then me…"

"The girl Jessa…what is her last name..." The turtle asked breathlessly. But he spoke before I could answer. "Is…is it Cones?"

"Yeah…but what does this have to do with anything?" I asked, but the turtle just murmured to himself.

"I'm sure Bentley is just worried." My dad said for his friend. "I am as well. The fact she befriended you and made you into a thief…"

"The thing is, dad. She didn't come up with this. I asked her to help me. This was my heist. Oh, and I'm sorry for punching you in the stomach last week. You and your partner just came way to fast." He looked at my awestruck.

"You're the one that knocked me out! Why you little-" My dad joked before Bentley cut him off.

"Your sure about her grandfather?"

"Positive." I said, shaking my head.

"Well, then your friend might be in mortal danger…and without the whole being a thief thing."

"What do you mean Jessica is in trouble?" My dad asked, since I was in too much shock. Megan and Murray just looked at the turtle silently.

"Jonathan Cones was murdered two years ago. The cover-up for the family was a stroke, so I don't think Jessa knows. But, I don't know if the killer got what he wanted or not."

"What do we do, buddy?" The hippo asked. The turtle pondered this as the mouse spoke up.

"Clearly she shouldn't be trusted. She knew too way too much and the death could have been a cover-up. They could be trying to take down the Cooper Gang from the inside out!"

"Megan!" The turtle hissed, and the mouse fell quiet. "I think we should find your mother. She was closer to Jon more then me."

"How come?" I asked.

"Because…he was smarter then me. I rather hated that about him." The turtle said with an odd smile and his hidden eyes behind the massive glasses. As the turtle pulled out an old blackberry, the other three gave each other odd looks. Clearly, they couldn't believe anyone was smarter then the turtle. But I was sure my own jaguar could give the old turtle a run for his money.

"Well, off to the illegal, hidden library…" The turtle said in a sing-song way before we all "poofed" again.

And we landed in a massive cave, that shocked both me and my dad. Murray looked like he hated being in here (maybe a hatred of libraries?) and the mouse looked rather annoyed.

"Mom keeps making this thing bigger and bigger…" Megan huffed, showing displeasure in her surroundings.

"If she wants to be killed in an avalanche of books, allow her darling." The turtle said offhanded as he started rolling away, the four of us following him. "She should be close to here. And Jonathan's spot is just around this corner I believe. He liked to be around the American history section-are you kidding me?" The turtle stopped, while the rest of us almost crashed into him. I peeked my head around the corner to see what was going on, and it was no other then Jessa along with an older white mouse.

"Why the hell do I have to go with you to all these libraries if you have a giant one here?" I snickered as I looked at the jaguar showing emotion: surprise.

In the next hour, it went from total confusion to controlled chaos. Penelope wouldn't left go of her bear hug, and once she hugged me, the big hippo also wanted his turn. Everyone told their part of the story, from the night's heist to what I got on my latest report card. Bentley gleamed, showing Jessa he had found out all about her in less time then she had from him and his gang. Her remark? She wasn't even hiding anything, and also looked just like her grandfather…

In the end, me and my dad ending up at home after a very long night. My mother was still up, tissues by her side. Yet another long story and bear hug. She blew her nose, and told me she loved me. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to be chasing the new Cooper Gang….oh, and don't tell your grandparents.

In the end, with Carmen going to Interpol camp, I would be the only child with the secret.

So, im back...and this chapter is for both Jammin Jabala (my whore) and Jercer

...sorry it took like of, seven months XD

so, short-ish chapter, but im just getting in the swing...and this chapter was quite boring to write :{