It's time to pick back up where we left off. I haven't updates in a while, but that's because I was in Maryland for the last few days attending my grandfather's funeral. As much as I miss him, I have you guys that stay on the edges of your desk chairs waiting for chapter 3, and I love what I do. Enjoy!

A/N: I do not own Over the Hedge or any of its characters. All characters are the property of DreamWorks and its subsidiaries.

Grand Theft Heart

The morning of the heist had come, and everyone was ready to begin. Except for… RJ and Heather. The night before was still clouding their minds and causing both of them to fall behind in preparations. Heather never mentioned what happened to her father, figuring it would just be best to wait until the heist was over. The last thing Ozzie or anyone else in the group, needed was to worry.

"OK; why did you plan the heist a day late?" Verne asked

"Because today's garbage day." RJ said simply. Verne looked at RJ, confused for a moment before asking what was so important that they wait an extra day.

"So?"

"So, we can hide in the can after the garbage guys come to pick it up, and after that, she'll bring the cans into the garage, shut the door after she leaves, and we can get to work." RJ explained. Verne looked back at RJ somewhat surprised that he thought ahead so well.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" RJ said smirking a little.

"Well… I didn't think…"

"Yeah, I know. I had a little extra time." RJ said without thinking. The rest of the family looked at him, wondering what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Hammy asked

"Oh, well… I just mean that I stayed up later than usual one night and uh… had a little epiphany."

"Oh. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started." Stella said getting excited, causing the rest of the family to get just as excited. RJ grabbed his bag and the rest of the family got into positions.

"Alright, now remember guys: Lou, Penny, and Stella will wait at the back door for us with the wagon. The hedge is right behind the yard, so it will be a quick escape. Ozzie, Tiger, Verne, Heather and I will wait for the garbage can to be emptied and we'll jump in. Bucky, Quillo, and Spike; you guys will knock on the garage three times if she starts coming back."

"You got it, Uncle RJ!" Quillo said

"Great. See you guys on the other side." RJ said before looking at Heather one last time. The raccoon and possum stared at each other, feeling disappointed that they left things the way they did the night before. RJ slowly walked to the side of the garage with her, not saying anything, but wishing they could. Just before RJ tried talking, the garbage truck pulled up and grabbed the can, pulling it up and dumping the contents into the compactor. Seconds later, the truck drove away, leaving the animals with a short window of time to jump inside and wait. All five of them rant to the can and helped one another inside with RJ waiting on top to close the can before jumping in himself.

"Whoa. This is a tight fit." Verne complained

"Well, it's not supposed to be comfortable. As long as we can make it in the garage, we're doin' well." RJ said. Heather was right next to Ozzie, who was pressed against the side of the can. He had no idea what happened between RJ and his daughter during the prior night, but he DID notice that Heather wasn't totally focused on the heist.

"Heather, are you okay?" Ozzie asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm just getting a little claustrophobic." Heather said, with RJ looking at her, knowing the real reason behind her uneasiness.

"Yeah, I kinda know the feelin'." Ozzie said looking down at his stance, which Heather noticed and saw that he had very little, if any room to move.

"I can scoot over a little." Heather said trying to move what little space she could.

"No, it's fine, sweetheart." Ozzie said looking down at her. Tiger was standing behind Verne, looking at the teenage possum and hoped that she and RJ would be able to work things out. Without warning, the can was lifted into thin air, and was being carried into the garage; just like RJ had planned. The woman set it down hard, and walked to her car to start it.

"Those garbage cans are getting heavier and heavier every year they make them." The woman said, not knowing that the animals inside were the reason behind the extra weight. Within about 15 seconds, the car was placed in reverse, and backed out leaving the garage door open for another moment.

"Alright, let's go." Verne said trying to get up, but was stopped by RJ.

"Wait." RJ said, waiting for the sound he knew was their cue. The door to the garage started its descent and hit the concrete soon after.

"Okay, now!" RJ said and lifted the lid off of the trash can, and having it fall to the floor. The family piled out and walked to the pet door, heading for the kitchen.

"Nice!" Verne said

"No kidding. I'll get the others." RJ said running to the back door to let Lou, Penny, and Stella in.

"It's about time, ringtail." Stella said pushing the wagon from behind.

"Oh, bite me!" RJ said sarcastically. As soon as the wagon was set in the kitchen, each person got to work clearing the cupboards, refrigerator, and pantry. The heist took no more than 20 minutes and they were already pulling the wagon to the back door, when the front door flew open. Standing in the entrance was Dwayne: The Verminator.

"No way!" RJ said looking at Dwayne with his mouth to the floor.

"Gotcha!" Dwayne said running for the foragers, net and snare in hand. The family scattered in every direction they could, doing their best to confuse the deadbeat exterminator.

"Verne, get the wagon and everyone you can back to the hedge. I'll distract him." RJ said running at the Verminator, and leading up the stairs.

"RJ!" Verne called out but received no answer.

"C'mon, Verne. You heard what he said. He'll make it out. He always does." Penny said as she and the rest of the group grabbed hold of the wagon handle and started pulling. Verne reluctantly turned around to help them back to the hedge. Upstairs, RJ was scampering with all of his might up to the second floor. He darted around a sharp corner, and continued running down the hallway. Instantly, he was pulled into the hall bathroom and fell to the floor as the door shut. RJ looked up to see who it was that pulled him to safety, and was shocked to see a familiar face.

"Ozzie." RJ said silently. The possum ran to RJ's aid, making sure he wasn't hurt.

"Are you alright?" Ozzie asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." RJ said before hearing Dwayne walking down the hallway, trying to find him.

"Come out, come out!" Dwayne taunted. The only thing bigger than HIM was his ego, and RJ didn't take too kindly to his shallow attitude. As much as he wanted to beat the living crap out of the Verminator, he knew that he didn't have that power.

"We need to get out of here." Ozzie said as he looked underneath the door, seeing no sign on Dwayne. He looked over at RJ, who nodded, letting him know that he could open the door and they might be able to make a break for it. The door opened inch by inch with Ozzie making sure he didn't see Dwayne, and finally, he and RJ made their getaway. They ran down the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them, and made it to the kitchen, where they saw the back door wide open.

"Sweet!" RJ said as he and Ozzie ran for the door. Just as they hit the welcome mat, they were engulfed in a net, and fell to the top step of the patio. Out of nowhere, Dwayne emerged from his hiding place with a big smile on his face, and grabbed the net; RJ and Ozzie still trapped inside.

"Two pests with one net. It's a good day to be the Verminator." Dwayne said mockingly, praising himself for the catch. He walked out the back door and straight for his truck, where he pulled out a cage, and placed the two animals through the hole. From the cage, they both could see the neighbors standing at the curb.

"Thank you, sir." said the man.

"It's what I do! You guys never thought about the neighbors now did you?" Dwayne asked the animals, mocking their feeble-mindedness.

"You've just been Verminated!" Dwayne said one last time before throwing the cage in the back of his truck and slamming the door. RJ started panting heavily, mostly due to shock and fear. Ozzie was quick to notice the nervous state that the raccoon was in, crawled over to him and pulled him into a comforting hug.

"It's okay. We're gonna get outta here." Ozzie said still holding on to RJ.

"I hope you've got a plan, because I don't." RJ said looking up at Ozzie and still shaking a little. The possum let go and walked over to the lock.

"These claws serve a few handy purposes." Ozzie said showing his extended claws to RJ and smiling. RJ got up and watched closely as Ozzie placed his middle claw inside the padlock and started loosening the tumblers.

"Have you just been waiting to try those out?" RJ asked as Ozzie smiled and worked his magic. It took some time, but eventually the lock had been picked and the two 'pests' made their way to the back of the van and tried opening it. Suddenly, the van came to a harsh stop and knocked RJ and Ozzie back against the cage. When Ozzie regained his footing, he reached over to RJ to see if he was okay, only to find that he had been knocked out by the blow to the cage.

"RJ, RJ. Wake up." Ozzie said trying to wake the raccoon, but had no luck. Acting on adrenaline, Ozzie grabbed RJ and placed him over his shoulders, and opened the door to the van and prepared to jump to the street below.

"Hey!" Dwayne said as he looked behind him, and stopped the van in the middle of a 4-way stop. Ozzie jumped out of the van and ran to a nearby shrub with RJ still balanced on his back.

"You guys are dead. I am gonna…" Dwayne began talking before an oncoming car took him out. As he lay in the street, Ozzie was watching every second from the bush, cringing at the sight. His stomach churned at the position Dwayne was in as he lay motionless on the pavement. Not wanting to avoid detection, Ozzie regained his stance with RJ still out cold and ran for the hedge.

**End of Chapter**

Yikes! Looks like Dwayne won't be too much of a problem anymore. Now Ozzie has to find his way back to the log. Hopefully RJ wakes up soon, because Ozzie might not be able to carry him the whole way. I'll see you guys soon with another update.

Peace out, playa!