Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

Well here's chapter 10! Only a few more chapters and then this story will be done. I do have another idea to do after this one. But anyway, please read and review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 10: Secrets Are Revealed

I sat silently, picking at my fingernails while Sly waited for me to continue. The last thing I wanted to do tell him what I'd been hiding, but I had to. I knew that when I told him there would be no way he would ever want to have anything to do with me. For all I knew he might turn me into my sister out of spite. I kept my gaze away from his, hoping to buy myself more time and figure out a way to start this out. I listened to the crickets and the running water in the gardens below and still kept my gaze from Sly. I sunk in the chair and pulled my knees up to my chin. The chair wasn't anything more than a cushion and a curved piece of polished wood for your back, but with my knees pulled up I didn't have to look directly at Sly. I knew I was acting childish and stupid about this, but I did something that I completely regretted for multiple reasons. One was for what it actually was, and two for hiding it from Sly for so long. I was already embarrassed by him finding out from a message etched into my skin from some vengeful ghost instead of me telling him when I was ready. He was going to kill me when I told him and any chance I wanted of trying to make our friendship as strong as it was, was about to be right out the door just like disco balls and afros.

"Ramona," he said quietly and I looked up briefly. He was waiting silently for me to continue but I could tell anticipation was starting to get to him. I looked down at my nails again and figured I'd go ahead and get it over with.

"I-I feel really, really bad about this," I sighed and threw my bangs from my face. I felt bad, I couldn't tell him, not now. I shook my head and stood from my seat. I gripped the railing quickly and jumped over the edge into the bushes a few feet below.

"Ramona!" he shouted behind me but I kept going forward, "Ramona will you come here?" I shook my head and briefly looked back.

"Not now!" I shouted back before escaping from the gardens. I heard bushed rustle behind me and I could only figure he had jumped behind me. I walked into the lobby, passing by my brother, and outside towards the city. I heard someone behind me, but this mysterious someone could only be one person.

"Ramona!" I knew running could make me look any better but I could tell him right now. I would die of embarrassment and shame as soon as I told him.

The only thing that lit my path was the moonlight but I'd rather have it to be pitch black; I might actually get away if it was. I knew I was acting like a child, but this was one of the worst things I had ever done and I couldn't let him know yet. Unfortunately Sly was right behind me and it wouldn't take long for him to catch up with me. I stormed down the streets but it didn't take long for me to felt his paws slide around my waist and stop me in my tracks. He gently turned me around and I rested my back against the cement arch of the bridge. For some reason, we always had to talk on a bridge or in a park, I guess for privacy. It was that same bridge we had talked after he had taken me to dinner. The same place where we had a heart felt talk was now the place where I would admit my biggest mistake. He stood in front of me in order to keep me from running again but I still kept avoiding his gaze. He held me gently but firmly by my waist and I knew I had to spill everything sooner or later.

"Ramona," he said softly, "whatever it is can't be that bad." It then him me that he didn't know it was about him. He just knew it was a secret. I could lie about it and tell him something completely different, but that would only screw me over even more.

"Sly, it's absolutely horrible and you will hate me when I tell you!" I tried to pull myself away from him but he held me in my spot, "It's about you, Sly. That's why I feel so bad. It's worst thing I've ever done and it's about you." I tried to pull away but he kept me where I was.

"Ramona," he said softly. I finally met his gaze and felt guilty for what I was hiding. He quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. This certainly wasn't helping me internally, but knowing that this was probably the last time he would ever do this, I kissed him back. He pulled away and met my gaze again.

"Tell me." I sighed and looked away again. I looked up at him again and my stomach twisted into knots.

"Fine," I folded my arms across my stomach and looked down at my tail. I flicked it around a few rocks and searched for my words, "Before you get mad, I was absolutely livid with you. It was right after I had moved back to Paris after that…incident…with Erik, and I had to think of something to save my hide." I looked up and continued.

"When I moved back after we talked, I had moved back to my apartment in town. I had only been in town two days when it happened. I got ambushed by Cortex and he took everything I owned. Everything I owned, everything I had collected, everything my father had given me, was stolen. I went to Charlotte and told her what happened. I made her swear not to tell anyone, not even Sitka. But I couldn't go back to my apartment; I didn't have anything, not even a bed. So I moved in with Charlotte but Sitka wanted to know why I had moved in. I couldn't tell him the truth, Sly, I couldn't. He always told me that I was the one who could stand up to Cortex but if he found out I had let him beat me and had stolen everything from me, he would have though I was weak and couldn't handle it. He would have treated me like a two year old who couldn't walk on her own."

"Alright," he said with a raised eyebrow, "but how does this involve me?" I sighed again and continued.

"Do you know why my brother hates you with a passion? Why he can't stand you and why he's always trying to keep me away from you?" he shrugged.

"I thought he was just mad about my little…fling…with your sister." I shook my head.

"It's what I told him. He hates you because of what I told him you did." I bit my lip in anticipation and sighed again. His eyebrows knitted together even more and his grip on my waist changed. It was tighter but not to where it hurt.

"What's you tell him?" I had an idea that he knew what I was about to say but I dreaded telling him.

"I told him that you did it," my stomach felt like it was about to explode, "I told him that you robbed me and that you're the reason why I'm living with my sister. I told him that you stole everything and then sold it to make a quick buck. I sold out your reputation to save my own skin and keep me from being humiliated. He thinks you don't know that he knows 'what you did', but he doesn't know it's a lie. Charlotte knows but he doesn't. I'm sorry, Sly, I'm so sorry. I was mad at you when I told him. Sure, we had talked things out but I was still mad at you. I'm sorry, Sly." He let go of my waist and backed up. I could tell he was going over what I just told him, but I could tell by his body language that he was mad; really, really mad at me. His jaw locked and he gave me a look that told me that he couldn't stand me.

"You sold out my reputation to save your own skin from being embarrassed by your brother? Someone who has seen every mistake you've made and you're afraid of that?" he was yelling and stayed in my spot. He'd been mad at people before but he had never directed his anger towards me.

"Sly, listen-" he cut me off and kept yelling.

"Shut your mouth, Bandicoot! I've heard all I need to from you! Yeah, I dated your sister and became a cop, but I came back and apologized and I never bashed your reputation to Bentley or to Murray! You didn't just bash me, but you've completely ruined my entire family's reputation as an honest thieving line! I don't care if you were mad at me, Ramona, you crossed the line! But I'll give you a warning," he pointed in my direction and kept yelling, "I would stay far away from me for the next few days, Bandicoot, far away from me." he growled before turning and stormed back to the hotel. I knew this would happen; I knew it. I could feel tears start to form in my eyes and I clamped a paw over my mouth as I sunk to the ground. He had been loud enough for people four streets over could hear him. I allowed a sob to escape and then they just kept coming. I knew I'd have to go back eventually but I had to let my emotions out here, Sly certainly wasn't going to console me, and I couldn't cry around my brother. He'd kill Sly for making me cry. I needed to keep away from Sly for a few days but I could already tell he wasn't going to trust me ever again. I rested my head on my knees and let out another loud cry.