Greetings Friends! I apologize for taking so long! Work has been getting even more hectic. But I got another chapter for you, and it's the one most of you have been asking for, so I hope it is up to par for what you asked for.

I don't own Sly Cooper, the game or any of the known characters. I only take credit for Lauren, the King, and Divina.

Read, Review, Enjoy!

(Sly POV)

I continued to pace the floor as Murray continued to eat, Bentley was doing more research on how we can take down the Black Knight, and Divina was preparing a place for Lauren. I was so worried about her. I may not be able to sense her anymore, but I could feel that my sister was fading very quickly. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes, and wiped the thought of losing her from my head. I was not going to lose Lauren; I will not let her leave me. She has a great future with Galleth, and we all love her and don't want to lose her. Bentley came up from behind me and place a hand on my arm.

"I know you're worried, Sly. We all are. But don't worry, one way or another, Lauren will live. I promise, we will not let anything happen to her." He said. I nodded just as Carmelita and Galleth came barging in with an unconscious lady fox in his arms.

"LAUREN!" I shouted and rushed to them I cupped her face, trying to get her to acknowledge me. Tears began to build in my eyes when Lauren tried to open hers.

"Sly?" She said weakly before falling unconscious again. I looked at Galleth with the same look as he gave me, fear. Divina rushed over to us, and gasped in shock at the sight of our dear fox.

"Give her here, Galleth!" She said. Galleth handed Lauren over to the wolf and she rushed to the back bedroom and laid Lauren down on the bed. We all gathered as Divina placed her paws on Lauren's face, closed her eyes, and moved her paws down Lauren's body. The king explained that she was trying to sense what was corrupting the bonds. Suddenly, Divina's eyes shot open and they were glowing white as her hands covered Lauren's heart. After a few moments, Divina fell backwards and Galleth and I caught her and stood her up as the caught her breath. After taking some deep breaths, she turned to us with tears in her eyes.

"This is worse than I thought! You said that the Black Knight was trying to break Lauren to where she would be submissive to the one who claimed her?" She asked me. And I nodded.

"Yeah, the guards said, that someone already claimed Lauren and the Black Knight was trying to break her. I am guessing the one who claimed her was Le Paradox!" I finished with an angry growl.

"This Black Knight was clearly messing with something he did not understand. Our dearest Lauren has been poisoned with "Ave vincla"!" She finished. The King, Bentley, and Galleth gasped before Galleth and the King began growling in rage.

"THAT POTION IS FORBIDDEN! WHO WOULD DARE INJECT MY DAUGHTER WITH THIS BLACK MAGIC?!" he shouted. Divina shook her head.

"What is Ave vincla?" I asked. Bentley rolled up to me.

"Sly, I've heard of that potion before. That is Latin for "Broken Bonds". That potion did not only break her bond with you and Galleth, but it's breaking all bonds she shares." Bentley explained with fear.

"I am afraid your turtle friend is right. If all bonds are broken, I fear our dear Lauren will perish!" She said. We all gasped and Carmelita started to cry softly. Suddenly she collapsed in my arms while clutching her heart with a painful shout and looked tearfully at Lauren's unconscious form.

"Lauren, no!" She exclaimed breathily. I pulled her closer to my chest and looked at Divina. She nodded, confirming my thought, the bond between Carmelita and Lauren has been broken. Divina waved her hands in the air while chanting something. Suddenly, the king, Bentley and Murray began to glow a bright blue color.

"What was that?" Murray asked.

"I casted a spell to track down the remaining bonds. It is the three of you. If the three remaining bonds sever, Lauren will die!" Divina explained. I stood up with Carmelita still in my arms.

"How do we stop this?" I asked. Carmelita nodded, wanting to know the same thing.

"There is only one way to counteract the magic of this potion! A ritual must be performed to rebuild the bonds and strengthen them to where they can never be severed. I must create a potion, but I will need herbs and plants from the forest." Divina explained. Carmelita walked out of my arms with a determined look that attracted me from the beginning.

"I'll go! Anything to save mi hermana!" She exclaimed. Divina nodded and then placed a paw on Carmelita's forehead. Carmelita stiffened before nodding and ran out of the house.

"What did you do to her?" I asked.

"I merely planted visions of the plants I need in her head. She'll know where to go and how to get them." She explained. Bentley then pitched in.

"Ok guys, we need to make this Black Knight pay for what he's done! And I know just how to do it. Let's go to the living room and Divina will take care of Lauren. Galleth and I looked back at Lauren and then followed Bentley as he pulled out his tablet.

"Okay, listen up! Carmelita is in the woods gathering plants for the ritual that will save Lauren before we lose her. While we wait, we need to hit the Black Knight where it hurts, and that means taking down the operations he set up in the village shops! First up, Murray, you'll need to visit the Tavern!... Sorry Big Gur, no time for snacks… the tavern has been converted into a fuel production facility for those robotic guards. Get in there and do what you do best: tear the place apart! Next Sly, you'll need to revisit the Cobbler's. We're gonna shut down the machines fabricating those ginormous parts! Last, but not least, Galleth you'll need to infiltrate the Bakery! My instrument readings show it's the main power source for the production facilities! You're the only one who can reach the second floor where I believe you'll find the generator! By the time we pull this off, Divina should have the potion ready and we can perform the ritual to save Lauren! There's no time to waste so let's get going!" He explained. We all nodded and ran to meet out in the village square.

"Ok, you heard Bentley, together we can bring this whole operation down! Let's do it for Lauren!" I exclaimed as we put our hands in a pile in front of us.

"YEAH! Let's go kick some butt!" Murray shouted as Galleth and I went to our own places to demolish.

(Murray POV)

As Sly and Galleth went off to their spots to destroy, I made my way to the Tavern. I got close and then Bentley called.

"Murray, you have to get into the Tavern. I think for this one, just go through the front door." Bentley explained to me.

"You mean like punch through the front door?" I asked with a smirk. Bentley chuckled.

"I meant walk, actually."

"Well… I uh… I like to have options." I said, while rubbing the back of my neck as Bentley laughed. I did as he said and walked through the door. Bentley then called again.

"Murray, you need to shut down the mixing system! Try disabling the vats."

"I gotcha chum! The Murray is going to rain destruction, like a cloud of pain!" I shouted, excitedly.

"Interesting analogy… Try throwing the guards into the vats!" He instructed before hanging up. I smirked, liking the sound of that. I went deeper into the tavern and saw a hedgehog, walking around. I snuck up behind him, picked him up with my stomp move, ran to the closest vat and threw him in.

"YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" I shouted. Suddenly over 30 guards surrounded me. I smirked as I cracked my knuckles.

"You chumps want some? THEN COME GET SOME!" I shouted and then started punching every guard in my sight. I smirked as I saw some unconscious guards at my feet. Picking one up at a time, I threw them into the vats until all three of them exploded.

"You did it, Murray!" Bentley exclaimed.

"THE MURRAY IS TRIUMPHANT!" I shouted as I ran out of the tavern and back to the hideout.

(Sly POV)

I made it to the Cobbler's when Bentley rang me as I made it to the front desk.

"Sly, I am getting some unusually strong readings from the upper levels of the shop." He reported. I nodded and climbed a rope to the top and crawled through a hole in the wall to the fabricating area.

"Sly, it looks like the bow will come in handy here, but you better watch out for that laser. If it slices through the rope, while you're on it, you'll fall into that pool of white-hot, molten metal below!" He exclaimed worriedly. Being myself, I decided to clear up the tension with a little humor.

"Is that bad?" I asked. Bentley just shook his head.

"Sometimes, your humor escapes me Sly!" he deadpanned. I laughed as I put on my medieval outfit. Picking up an arrow, I waited until the laser passed before I shot at the target. I rail dashed to the other side before the laser could cut the rope.

"Just get to that control box across the room and I'll shut this operation down for good!" Bentley said.

"You got it, Pal! How's Lauren?" I asked. Bentley sighed sadly.

"She's not looking too good, Sly. I hope this ritual will save her!"

"I do too, pal!" I said as I made it to the control box and wired Bentley in.

"Great job, Sly! I'll take over from here!" Bentley said. I nodded and sat down, waiting for Bentley to finish his job. Moments later, the whirring stopped and I looked to see that the lasers were shut down.

"Way to go, Bentley! This place is definitely closed for business!" I exclaimed as I got out of there.

"Even better news, Sly! Carmelita ranged me, she found the plants and she's on her way back. By the time you guys get back here, the ritual will be ready!" Bentley said, excitedly. A massive smile grew on my face.

"That's great! I'm on my way back!" I said as I made my way back, ready to save my sister.

(Galleth POV)

I finally made it to the bakery. I feel in my tail, that something wicked is concealed there. Bentley then spoke to me through the contraption in my ear.

"Okay Galleth, you need to the inside the bakery. If we shut it down, we can bring the Black Knight's operations to a halt!" he explained. I nodded, thinking of it as revenge for my dearest Lauren.

"Fear Not! I will smite the source that plagues this land!" I declared.

"Ah-uh. Let's just start with the bakery's power source." He said. I nodded and then made my way in. There were flames everywhere, much too powerful for baking in my opinion.

"Galleth, you need to get to the floor above but I don't see an access point. Look around, there must be a way up there." Bentley said. I smirked.

"Leave it to me, Bentley!" I said. I found a hook and used my catapult crash technique to reach the second level. I looked around, right before Bentley called on the binocucom.

"Alright, this is it! You'll need to shut down those sub-generators to disable the central device. But be careful, I suspect the system has an auto-reset and you'll need to deactivate them all before that happens!" Bentley warned. I rolled my eyes at his worries.

"Enough twaddle and gobbledygook! Time for action!" I declared.

"Oh boy…" Bentley face palmed before hanging up. I approached the first generator and used my catapult crash technique to knock out the pipe. Suddenly an alarm was set off and lasers appeared on the floor.

"Keep going, Galleth! You need to shut them all down before they restart!" Bentley warned.

"Fear not, Sir Galleth will not…" I began before I ran into a laser that zapped me and the generator restarted. "This sorely tries my patience!" I growled out before I took out the generator again, only to get zapped after taking out the second one, causing it to start up again.

"What kind of infernal magic is this?!" I wondered to myself. Finally I was able to take out all three generators without getting zapped.

"Bask in your glory later, Galleth! Right now you need to get out of there because that place is gonna blow!" Bentley said as an alarm starting going off and even more lasers appeared. Avoiding them all, I jumped through the hole, just as soon as the device exploded.

"Remarkable work! You did it Galleth! We smashed the Black Knight's operations!" Bentley exclaimed as I left the bakery.

"I am heading back to the hideout now, Bentley!" I said as I hurried back. Moments later, I rushed in to see that everyone was surrounding Lauren in her bed. Divina looked at me and smiled.

"Just in time Galleth! There's not much time. The bonds between Bentley and the king have been severed. We must do the ritual now!" Divina exclaimed. I gasped and ran over to Lauren. Divina took her potion and poured it into seven separate bowls. Then she poured what looked like blood into six of the seven bowls.

"To seal the bonds and make them stronger, you must drink this potion containing Princess Lauren's blood. And she must drink the potion containing the blood of those she shares a bond with." Divina explained, holding out a needle. I was the first one to take it and pricked my finger, letting a few drops fall into the potion. Sly did the same, following Carmelita, the King, Bentley, and Murray was the last. Divina mixed the potion together, changing the color to a blood red and putting the bowl beside Lauren. She then handed each of us a bowl with the potion with Lauren's blood. Then she walked over to Lauren and pried her mouth open.

"For the ritual to succeed, you must drink the potion at the same time!" She explained. We all nodded.

"On the count of three: one two… THREE!" Sly counted and we tipped the foul tasting potion down our throats as Divina forced the potion down Lauren's throat. We all were coughing at the vile taste, trying to keep it down. Suddenly, my heart began to heat up. Then a red glow surrounded Lauren. Then, a red thread reached out from her and attached to my heart. I smiled at the warmth and feeling, knowing that the bond with my mate has been restored and is stronger than ever.

"The bond of mates!" Divina exclaimed. Then the glow around Lauren turned to a dark blue and this time, two threads reached out towards Sly and Carmelita. They both gasped and clutched their hearts as tears filled both of their eyes.

"Lauren!" They both whispered.

"The bond of bloods. You two are her brother and sister now." Divina said. Sly and Carmelita gasped in shock.

"We're not related to her. How can we be her siblings?" Carmelita asked. Divina graced her with a gentle smile.

"You and Sly drank her blood, and she drank yours. The bond of siblings strengthened immensely, causing blood to be shared. You two are her blood brother and sister, now. Even if you two are involved. You have become her family!" Carmelita then wrapped her arms around Sly's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They were both crying tears of joy, knowing just how much they mean to Lauren. Lauren's glow turned to a golden color and a thread reached out towards the king. He smiled at his daughter knowing what bond he shared with her.

"I suppose I don't need to tell you that it is the bond of family!" Divina said. The king merely smiled and shook his head. Finally, the glow turned to a bold green and two threads reached out to Bentley and Murray.

"The Bond of friends!" Divina said. We all looked at each other, happy to know what we mean to our dear Lauren. The tethers all mixed together above Lauren, forming an orb with all the colors mixed together. The orb hovered for a moment but then went into Lauren's body and faded from sight. Lauren then took a deep breath as if this was the first time she breathed in a fortnight. I rushed over to Lauren as she kept catching her breath.

"Lauren?" I asked. But she remained unresponsive, and fell unconscious again. I turned to Divina in question.

"She must rest. Her heart is building back up again after slowly crumbling because of that wretched potion." Divina said. Sly then smiled and so did Carmelita and the others.

"I can sense her! She's going to be alright!" Sly said. Everyone nodded, saying they could sense her as well. I smiled in relief, knowing that my love will live. We all decided to go to bed, knowing that all we can do is wait for her to wake up. I took Divina's place beside Lauren's bed and placed my head on the bed, falling asleep, hoping that my love will wake soon.

(Lauren POV)

I slowly blinked my eyes open, wandering where I am. I don't remember my prison with the Black Knight being this nice. I looked down at my body to see no injuries. I then sensed my beloved Galleth and saw that he was sleeping uncomfortably. I smiled as I combed my claws through his fur. A gentle purr came from him as he stirred and raised his head to look at me. I smiled at him as he cupped my cheek, probably wondering if this was a dream.

"Lauren? Is that you, my love?" He asked. I smiled and covered the hand on my cheek with my own.

"Yes, Galleth. I am here." I said. He laughed quietly before thrusting his lips on to mine. I squealed before grabbing his head and pushed it closer to my face. He grabbed my waist and I fell on the bed with him on top of me. We kissed until we were both out of breath. We sat up and just stayed in each other's arms until…

"LAUREN?!" I heard a shout and saw a raccoon, a lion, another fox, a turtle in a wheelchair, a hippo, and a lordly lion run through the door. I pulled apart from Galleth and stood from the bed. I only looked at Sly and Carmelita. And they looked at me before I ran into their arms. Both of them wrapped their arms around me.

"Guys, I'm so happy to see you!" I said tearfully as the gang, my father, Divina, and Galleth joined in on the hug.

"We thought we lost you Lauren!" Sly said as we pulled apart. I smirked and walked back into Galleth's arms.

"You can't get rid of me that easily!" I said. Everyone laughed and went to the dining room to have dinner. We all talked about what happened since I disappeared and what was going on. I was furious at what this black knight was doing. I know who it was, but yet I don't. I just can't remember who it is. I am really upset that I'm not much help to the gang, but they are constantly telling me that it is fine. After dinner, Sly and Bentley went out to follow the Black Knight.

(Sly POV)

I was so happy to have my sister back and in full health. The only thing that would make me happier, was taking down the black knight. I was in village and saw that the black knight was making its way through the village. I rang Bentley up to let him know.

"Looks like the Black Knight is on the move again. You need to stay on his tail until I can get there, Sly." Bentley said.

"Of course, hurry up slowpoke!" I teased him.

"Whatever, just don't lose him." Bentley ordered. I nodded and climbed to the rooftop before the Black Knight saw me. I followed him through the town while he spoke to himself. He mainly spoke of how he suspected me being the reason behind his production facilities being down. Ha! Damn straight! He also spoke about squashing me once and for all and how he thinks birds destroyed those balloons and that he should invent a scarecrow with a rocket launcher. He then started going off about putting us in a circus and turning the van to a clown car. I rolled my eyes as I reached the Blacksmith shop and Bentley reached me.

"Bentley, he's heading into the Blacksmith Shop! Should I follow him inside?" I asked. Bentley rolled up to me.

"No. I'll take it from here, Sly. I should be able to get inside through that hatch on the roof. Time to get some answers." He said. I nodded and took off back to the hideout as Bentley made his way inside.

(Bentley POV)

I jumped through the hatch and landed in the rafters. The Black Knight was marching around. I knew that I had to stay off of the floor, otherwise I would be busted. I had to use my darts to turn off the lasers so I could get closer and listen in on him.

"Decisions, decisions. Should I feed Cooper to the dragon or make him into a rug? Maybe I'll feed Cooper to the dragon, then make him into a rug with the leftovers! Then Lauren will be out in the open for the taking! HAHAHA!" I heard the black knight say. No way I am letting that monster get his hands on Sly and Lauren! We need to stop him! As I made my way, I heard him talking about putting in a cooler for drinks. A refrigerator? I wonder if I could fit one on this wheelchair? I finally got close enough to listen in on what he was saying.

"Blasted Cooper Gang! They may have shut down operations and stole Lauren from me, but I will have the last laugh! My castle is impenetrable! Once Operation Overlord is complete, I will be unstoppable!" He said as he marched through the gate.

"Operation Overlord?! I don't like the sound of that!" I said as I hacked the security system quickly and easily, then I continued following the Black Knight. He went into another room and I had to use more of my darts to catch up to him without getting killed from the Phased Karp Array. I arrived in the rafters, right before he left.

"And where is that stinking Le Paradox, when I need his help? He owes me everything for breaking the bond between Lauren and Galleth! I just need to get her back! On top of that, he owes me big time for stealing Bentley's time machine plans! Bentley? Oh Penelope, what a little fool you were!" He said before leaving the room. I remained frozen in my spot due to what I just heard.

"Oh no! My plans? That means, I caused all this?! Penelope! Oh Penelope, please be alright! I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER'S SHELL, I WILL CRUSH YOU MYSELF BLACK KNIGHT!" I growled out, waving my fist in the air, at the thought of the Black Knight hurting my girlfriend and my dear friend, Lauren. I turned off the remaining lasers and quickly caught up with the Black Knight, wanting to beat him up for everything he's done, to Lauren and Penelope.

"This blasted suit is so hot! I need some air!" I heard him say as I rolled into the room. The suit all of a sudden opened up and, much to my surprise and heartache, a familiar and attractive pink mouse with orange blonde hair, jumped out.

"Much better, I can barely think in that thing!" Penelope said, rolling her shoulders and neck.

"It's not possible!" I said, completely denying what I am seeing before my very eyes.

"Phew! That thing is almost as stuffy as Bentley!" She said while she started working on a computer.

"Penelope? But why would she…?" I was asking, not wanting to know the answer.

"If only Bentley hadn't been brainwashed by Cooper and Mason's honorable thief notion. We could've made BILLIONS in weapon design. The two most brilliant minds on the planet working together, we could've owned the world! But no matter, once Cooper and Mason are out of the way, he'll see things my way. Poor Bentley, he's kind of cute when he's being dumb!" She said while working on the robot guards she apparently invented. As for me, I was speechless at the hurt and betrayal.

"Ahhh, I think I'm going to be sick!" I rushed out of there, not wanting to see that traitorous mouse for another second. I rushed back to the hideout and hid in my shell, refusing to come out. My heart was shattered and no one could help me!

There you have it! Lauren is back with the Gang, safe and sound! But Bentley had his heart broken by the traitorous Penelope! What will happen next? Stay tuned and send as many reviews as you can. Please be patient with me. I am trying to write as fast as I can but I get really worn out after work and can't write sometimes, but I will post whenever I can.

'Til next time, Fare thee well you all!