Okay. So…for the long wait, I have something…special for all of you.

ENJOY, BITCHES.

Era: Feudal Japan

?'s POV:

You walk along the stone path-which is seriously just made out of smoothed-down stones with water lightly splashing through the cracks. You head up to Rio's sushi shop, for lunch, and to see him. You've been…away for a few weeks, and you want to check in on his shop and his little "side business." You've been partners for ages-years, actually. You met him when you were trying to sabotage a general who didn't have respect for women. So, you put some errors in his money, and while you were trying to get a hold of some papers in his palace, you literally bumped into Rioichi, who was after some artifact the general had taken. And you became partners. This way, every enemy you made was taken down in more than one way.

You flick the water off of your tail, and turn the last corner. It's just before opening, and already, there are a couple of people lined up. You head in through the back, and you see Rio behind the counter, preparing the fish and wasabi. "Dohbreyah ootrah." You smile. Rio looks up and nods and says "good morning" in Japanese back. His accent is thick, just like your accent. Of course, you don't speak too much Japanese-just enough to get by-but he doesn't speak any Russian. So ha. Rio's pretty…well, stone-faced most of the time, but you know he cares. And…he has been through a lot.

"Svetlana," He calls. "Toss me that knife." You nod and throw it over to him, and he catches it with ease.

You smile. "So how's your morning, Rio?"

He nods. "Fine."

"Noukhayev-chan," The sound of your last name rings out, and that little flirty guy, Santiago, comes over. He's not too bad of a guy; very friendly, very charismatic, just…well…his manners could use a little improvement. Oh. And Rio hates him. He doesn't like him talking to you. You can hear Rio's knife hitting the cutting board a little harder. From that, and the way his eyes are narrowed, you can tell he's getting angry. Not that he'll ever show it or say it, of course.

"Konichiwa, Santiago-san," You smile. "How are you?"

Era: 1880s, Old West

?'s POV:

Damn, it's hot out! Must be over 100 degrees. You're in your room, fanning yourself. You're gonna start looking for Tennessee soon. He's probably out doing something he shouldn't be. Man, you've been here too long. Your accent is gettin' to be almost as thick as Tennessee's! Well…you guess 10 years is a long time to develop an accent. You and Tennessee have been "partners in crime" for a long, long time. Of course, that's about to end. You've kept yourself a secret-helping your friend in the shadows-but…you're getting married soon. And Jonathan Wiseturtle has a lot of money. In these parts, and in any part of the world, women can't do much. But with John-you're gonna be set for life. It's…gonna be great. Yeah. You know it will be. Of course, he plans on leaving town-John, you mean. Which means you'll be leaving with him. He…doesn't like all the theft that's been committed here. He doesn't even know you've been a part of that theft. John loves you for your looks-the curly blonde locks, the beauty below the right eye-you're a regular Southern Belle. And your family's not doing too bad as far as money goes either.

Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Tennessee pops in through your window. "Hey doll." He smiles. He climbs into your room, silently so your parents don't hear, and stares at your wedding dress, hanging up in your closet. "Looks perty." He says, with a sad smile. He says it…almost mournfully.

"I'm sorry Tennessee." You say, touching his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you. But there's not much else I can do. I'm just a woman."

He expression turns stern. "You ain't just a woman-you're the damn feistiest, smartest gal I ever met in my life. You avoided blowing your cover and spent the last decade of your life helping me out. And you're only 24." He growls. "Damn it, Cas-you shouldn't be marryin' that guy. You outta marry somebody ya really love. Somebody who loves ya for more than ya looks."

You tighten your grip on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Tennessee. But I'm doing this for my family."

"That's a croc of shit, Cassie, and you know it."

You remove your hand from his shoulder, and snap, "Why are you acting like this? Every time we talk about the wedding, you start getting like this."

You…you're getting married because of Tennessee. You don't want to marry John, but…Tennessee doesn't love you-not the way you love him. And you can't spend the rest of your life chasing after a guy that just doesn't feel the same way about you. So you're getting married. And leaving town.

You just can't stand to look at his face every single day, especially when all you want to do is run your fingers through his fur.

And…

You're pregnant.

Era: Prehistoric

?'s POV:

Oh, you can't wait to eat! Eggs make the best meal. And it's almost time for dinner! You've been hunting for animals with the other females and males of your tribe, and _'s out collecting eggs. It's going to be an amazing feast! Eggs and meat. Eggs, eggs, eggs. You carry the hunk of meat you found with the others back to your tribe's campsite, and everyone's soon talking and laughing and telling stories. You sit next to _, and he passes you an egg, and you pass him some meat.

You…like him. Like, really like him. Maybe…you'll ask him to be mates? He's so…sweet and friendly. And he's so kind and considerate and he works so hard to provide for the tribe. He'd make a wonderful mate! But…what if he doesn't like you back? You've known each other your whole lives, and you've been hunting buddies since you were teenagers, and you went through so much together-but what if he only loves you as family?

Era: Medieval England

?'s POV:

You fast-walk through the halls of your castle, and damn dresses-gowns, dresses, whatever the bloody hell they're called, damn them all! It's so hard to move with all the lace, and the train getting tangled around your ankles. You were born into a family of nobility, so from the time you were born to the time that you die, it's always been dresses, tall hairdos, and pinchy shoes. And you mean really tall hairdos. Your hair is about five feet above your head. And full of pearls.

You need to find Galleth. Your father wants to see him.

Oh, Galleth. He's so…so…well, he's headstrong. And brave and courageous and…well, he is a goof. But he makes you laugh. You're the one that crowned him a "sir" a few years ago. It was when you met him. He really is the perfect knight. He puts women on a pedestal and everything. Chivalrous.

"Sir Galleth," You call, spotting him down the hall, patrolling with his fellow knights.

"Lady Elizabeth," He smiles and gives a low bow. "Good marrow to you, fair lady. How can I be of assistance?"

You smile. "I could use someone to watch my archery practice." It really is your favorite hobby. Now, whenever the castle is under attack, you can fire arrows with your mother and the other women in the castle. It's a mandatory skill, along with reading and writing so as being to understand and follow written orders.

He nods. "Very well, M'lady. I shall join you in the courtyard very shortly."

Era: Saudi Arabia

?'s POV:

You're getting too old for this. Most of the other forty thieves have already retired. It's just you, Salim, and the other three stooges. Oh, Salim. You remember what it was like when you were young. He was such a ladies' man. Muscles, cunning, charm, good looks, the whole package. You can't remember all the times that you had to yank him away from harem women in a palace to avoid blowing your cover. And you were quite the woman too-still are! Only, you're not bound by the laws of society other women are. You're free to go wherever you want to do, and do as you please. It's the best career you could've hoped for. But…you're getting old. You can't move the way you used to be able to. It is time to retire, like all the others. And Salim has turned into quite the cranky old man.

Speaking of which, where is that ol' devil rat?

Era: Modern Day Paris

Your POV:

After you got back to Paris, after leaving Australia (which was quite the long story, involving the mask of dark earth and that bitch Carmelita), you returned to Paris. With the Guru. And his amazing mental abilities-well, not in Bentley's kind of mental abilities-but yeah. So…got a brand new newbie. It's awesome. Now you're not the only one. While the others chat with the Guru, you sneak out onto the roof.

It's dark. And without any city lights, the sky is bright and lit up with stars. It's like seeing a million shards of diamonds.

And you hear footsteps along the creaky steps. And you already know who it is. "Hey Sly," You smile as he sits down next to you on the edge of the rocky cliff you're sitting on. "What's up?" You ask.

He shakes his head. "Nothing." He says. "I just wanna talk." You don't say anything, and just rest your head on his shoulder. "Hey Cerlie, you okay? You've been kinda…distant lately." Well, you have had a lot on your mind. Arianna, your adoptive parents, your real parents, and last night…you dreamt of how you discovered that your family has ties to the Cooper family. You thought about Clockwerk. And how weird it is-you went from hating this series, to being a part of it-well, you were always a part of it, and you still haven't worked out all the kinks yet. Like how you got to that other universe in the first place. And if Raphael is here, then what happened to Patrick and Michael? You're…worried. God, they have to be asking so many questions.

Well, at least you can't say that your life is boring.

"I was…thinking…about Clockwerk last night." You feel him tense a bit. You knew that would strike a nerve. Clockwerk murdered his parents. He murdered your parents. "And about all the things he did-and what we had to do to stop him. I'm just thinking about how crazy our lives are. And…" You pause. Because this has definitely been in the back of your mind.

"…And?"

"We're not related, are we?"

"…What."

"It's possible! Bentley said our families have been working together for ages, and well…what if there's a marriage or a kid in there in somewhere?"

"…We should ask Bentley."

"So Bentley, what have you found?" You ask, eating the Italian takeout you ordered. "Anything…important?"

Typing away like a machine on his computer, his eyes scan the screen. It's a bunch of marriage certificates-to make sure that there's no "Cooper and Noukhayev" one in there somewhere. There's a bunch of files on there too-just old records of your family and Sly's. "Nope. Well, a lot of it is interesting, definitely-but so far, no marriage records. Oh, Rioichi's mother was the Cooper-makes sense, since the Japanese always take the woman's name-oh, and he was close friends with your ancestor, Svetlana Noukhayev through most of their lives."

Right-Sly's ancestor, from the Thievius Raccoonus. His Japanese ancestor-wait, does that mean you're Japanese somewhere in your bloodline too? "So what, did Svetlana like…immigrant there?" Bentley nods, and continues looking through the records. "Wow. So is my bloodline all Russian, or is it…mixed?"

"Mixed." He says. "You had an English ancestor-a noble one. Lady Elizabeth Noukhayev-close friend of Sir Galleth Cooper. And your ancestor, Alimah A-Noukhayev from Saudi Arabia." Great. Your blood comes from Saudi Arabia, the one country that won't let women drive. "Oh, hey, she was a member of the Forty Thieves, look at that." Well. Not what you were expecting. A member of the Forty Thieves. That's cool.

"Anyone else?"

"Yes-your Old West ancestor-Cassandra Noukhayev."

Well, you got your own set of ancestors! That's awesome! Wow. You're more involved with video games than you thought. This is wild. You wonder what they were like-but hey. You and Sly are not related. Totally separated families. Good, 'cause then it'd be incest. And…yeah. Don't want to thin out the bloodline. But…

Truth be told, it is kinda weird for the families to have known each other for that long and they haven't been united before. It's…strange.

So yeah. Lots of foreshadowing for Lost Inside the Forest. YES. EVERYONE will have ancestors.

By the way, Raphael's last name is Santiago. So there's that. I bet you guys can't wait for the sequel.

By the way-a Cooper/Noukhayev relationship never ends well. One in particular.

See you soon!

~Mimi Sweet