A/N: Me: Hey everybody! Everyone is either at work, on missions or taking collage classes right now. So I'll just get to the disclaimers.

I DO NOT OWN SLY COOPER, THE GAMES, PLOT, CHARACTERS OR OTHERWISE. ALL COMMENTS, REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS CAN BE PMED TO ME OR PLACED IN THE REVIEW BOX BELOW. A BUCKET OF WATER HAS BEEN PLACED TO THE SIDE FOR ANY AND ALL FLAMERS! AND I ALSO HAVE MY NEW BOYFRIEND GENESIS RHAPSODOS TO KICK YOU FLAMERS OUT! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO COMMENTED AND REVIEWED!

*Genesis enters room and wraps his arms around me*

Genesis: Hey, where have you been lately?

Me: Getting ready for Thanksgiving. And we've been debating when to put up the tree and we all agreed on two days after Thanksgiving.

Genesis: *takes PG's hand and leads her out* Come on! I'm take you out to buy a new dress for that date I'm taking you on later tonight.

Me: What should I expect?

Genesis: I'm taking you on a Victorian Era Sleigh Ride, and finish off with a romantic dinner and sitting by the fireplace with hot chocolate. So you need the muff and bonnet because we're going traditional Victorian era clothing. I'll be wearing Red, obviously, so I'm getting you all in White. I was thinking of something similar to the dress Anasasia wore in the Christmas Special you wrote last year in 'Fire Emblem: True Awakening'.

*As they walk out, the screen slowly turns to black with the Cooper symbol in the center.*

XIV: Sly and Erica Cooper and the Gang in: Of Mice and Mechs- Part One

We'd come to Merry Old England to locate my ancestor, Sir Galleth Cooper. A gallant Knight who founded the Cooper Order. Unfortunately, what we found was anything but regal.

Sir Galleth had been reduced to performing in type local circus, as a

Jester, complete with ridiculous costume.

The Villainous stench of Let Paradox hung over the entire area! We didn't know what was going on yet, but we knew it want good.

To make matters worse, we still had no information about Penelope. Bentley want letting it show but I knew, deep down, he was pretty worried. Hopefully, we would find some answers soon...

But first, we had to go to the Circus.

Sly Cooper and the Gang in: Of Mice and Mechs- *Medieval England- 1301 A.C.*

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~
~Sly's POV~
I sat on the roof of our hideout, waiting for Bentley to give me my missions. As worried as I was about Erica, Bentley talked me out of going find her. His excuse was that since Sir Galleth was close to her, if we rescue him, he'll help us find her. My Binnocucom buzzed and I answered it.

"First off Sly, you'll need a more appropriate outfit to infiltrate the circus. But in order to do that I'm going to need some raw materials. The trick is going to be finding some quality wood, leather and metal." Bentley began.

I shrugged. "Sure. Anything else you want me to pick up while I'm out? Eggs, Milk... maybe some wax for your shell?" I joked but then paused when I remembered Erica saying the same thing in Rioichi's time. My ears and tail drooped a bit. I miss Erica.

"Just get going, Sly. And don't worry! We'll find Erica soon."

I nodded and hung up. I stood from my crouch on top of our hideout and looked out over the circus grounds, town, and castle. I looked towards the clock tower and glared when I saw Clockwerk sitting above it's face. His mechanical head turned to me and his shoulders shook as if he was mocking me. I growled at him as he took off before jumping down to start grocery shopping.

Walking along a wire above some of the guards heads, I overheard their conversation. "YOUR bearings ARE grinding AGAIN. SOUNDS like YOU need SOME oil." Spoke the first strange Cyber-wolf.

"TELL me ABOUT it. I had TO take THE kids TO the BEACH last WEEKEND."

"MAN, I HATE sand!"

"OH yeah, IT'S the WORST."

"I wish IT was BREAKTIME. I really NEED a PINT of FUEL."

"YEAH, we SHOULD head OVER to the TAVERN. I hear THE new METAL alloy IN the MIXERS adds A nice TANGY flavor."

"That's it! Head to the Tavern, Sly!"

I nodded and headed over to the large building with the large, rotating mug of brew on top of it. I smiled when I smelled hot beef stew and cinnamon sugar cookies. I entered the building from a trap door in the roof. I landed in the rafters right above the bar and I heard a voice from the door.

"You going to the shoemakers and the Bakers?"

"Yes. I need new shoes and Uncle asked me to pick up some bread since we ran out. Ever since the Black Knight took over and took King Rodgers prisoner, things have been going down hill round here. At least the King hid the Holy Grail before it could be taken."

"Yes. What ever happened to that human that the King Knighted? Erica, I think her name was?"

"No one knows. The rumor is that when she returned from God's Mist Island with the Grail, the island collapsed in on itself burying all the treasures on it in the sea along with that vile Leona Leopora and the poor girl's old friend Sir Giovanni Barone. During the Celebration of both the Dead and the finding of the Grail, she was poisoned by some Owl who took place of one of the servants. No one knows what that creature said to her, but she said three words before she passed out."

"What were they?"

"She said, 'I'm sorry, Sly.' Sly must be the name of her lover. Poor man, wherever he is, would be devastated. The King took her into one of the inner chambers of the Castle, and came out alone. There's no way the girl would be dead, so poor thing must be in the castle, being cared for by the King's most trusted servants. Well, all this talking I lost track of time! I gotta get going!"

"Be careful out there, Anneliese. The Black Knight is still prowling around at night. Tell your Uncle we said hello and hope things work out all right for him."

I only saw the tip of a gold tail as the woman left the Tavern.

"Sly! Sly! Pay attention!"

I snapped out of my daze. "Um... Sorry, Bentley. What were you saying?"

"Sly, my reading show the presence of a particularly durable metal alloy. That's what we want."

I scrunched up my nose. While the outside smelled like beef stew and cookies, the inside... "Man, this place smells like gas."

"That's probably the guards, Sly."

I shook my head. "Not that kind of gas! I mean fuel."

"Well stay away from any open flames and grab that sample!"

I jumped from rafter to rafter, to get to thud other side of the room. Dropping down, I crawled under a table to get to the other side.

"HEY, Joe! DID Anneliese ACCEPT your PROPOSAL?"

"NO. SHE said SHE was WAITING for THE man SHE loves TO return, EVEN though IT'S been A year."

"OH, man. TOUGH luck JOE!"

On the other side I jumped onto one of the large mixers and walked along the edge.

"Too bad they don't sell Root Beer."

"Actually they do Sly. Seems like Erica slipped them the formula for it a year ago."

I chuckled. It sounded like something she would do. I reached the spot where the metal alloy with a quick swipe, I grabbed it before the security system could electrocute me.

"Ya did it Sly!"

I quickly dropped to the floor. "Pssst!' I looked over to see a beaver tending the bar waving me over. 'You, Sly Cooper?"

"Yeah." I said cautiously.

He looked left, then right before handing me a jug that was very large but small enough to fit in my bag. "This batch of Root Beer was made a year ago today. My number one customer described you to a 't' and she insisted you to have a batch."

I took the jug and slowly put it away. As I looked up to thank and ask the beaver about Erica, I found he'd gone back to work. I sighed and left through the front door.

I went deeper into town, a bit depressed I had no information on where Erica was nor how she was doing. Our connection was still fuzzy and I couldn't sense where she was. I heard the sound of whirring gears and quickly hid as two guards came around the corner.

"YOU hear ABOUT Kraemer?" Cyber-wolf one asked.

"NO, what HAPPENED?"

"POOR guy MANAGED to GET his REBIGULATOR demagnetized." He said, circling his finger around the side of his head.

The other facepalmed and shook his head. "OOOH, man. THAT'S gotta HURT!"

"YEAH, I try TO stay AWAY from METAL... that's NOT me, I mean." He shrugged.

"YOU should TRANSFER to THE Bakery. NOTHING but WOOD and BREAD in THERE."

"Great Sly! Head to the Bakery and grab some wood."

I nodded and headed to the shop that had the sign picturing bread and other baked goods. Before I could hack Bentley in, the front door opened by itself. I hid only to see a young, female raccoon exit with a basket of bread. She left the door particularly open, too busy muttering how she definitely needs new shoes if she was going to run errands all the time for her uncle. I had just slipped in and closed the door behind me when a guard came round the corner.

"HEY, you! STOP there! WHO are YOU and WHAT are YOU doing HERE this LATE at NIGHT?"

"My name is Anneliese. I just finished my shift at the Tavern and came to get some buy some bread. I'm off to the Cobblers for some new shoes for me at the moment."

"THEN let ME escort YOU there AND back HOME. Who KNOWS who WOULD be WANDERING around THIS time OF night. WE guards MAY be METAL, but WE do HAVE hearts."

I was confused. Who was this Anneliese that even the guards are polite to her? It was obvious she didn't like this Black Knight if what I heard in the Tavern was correct.

I walked into the Bakery and was surprised at all the large furnaces and live chickens running around.

"Something's funny. My instrument readings show this place is producing a root more power than it needs for baking."

"Maybe there's a secret doughnut facility? Or a snickerdoodle one based off of Erica's Grandmother's cookies?" I joked.

"Maybe you should give the jokes a rest and see if you can find some wood? And I'm still trying to crack the safe that holds that recipe! Who knew grandmother's were so paranoid about their recipes being stolen?" He hung up.

"Huh. Fine. See if I bring you back any doughnuts." I muttered before heading in. On both sides of the large furnaces in the center, were two ovens open and bursting out flames. Being as I HATE the smell of singed fur, I knocked the open doors down and closed them before walking past. I found some decent wood on the other side of the store and also some goods in a pile with a sign that said, '90% off'. Being the shopping savvy that I was, that was a deal I couldn't pass up on. Loading everything into a bag and placing it on my back, I had us a meal for the next few weeks!

Placing some gold coins on the counter, including some extra for a tip, I left the Bakery munching on a snickerdoodle.

I hopped onto a flagpole, still munching on snickerdoodle, and then onto a rope over an archway that two guards were passing under.

"YOU going TO company PICNIC this YEAR?"

"I dunno. IT'S always THE same THING. I'm TIRED of PLAYING carnival GAMES at THE circus."

"YEAH, but REMEMBER the ARCHERY contest LAST year WHEN Bryner SOMEHOW shot HIMSELF in THE foot?"

The second guard laughed. "OH man. OKAY, that WAS worth IT. Wasn't THAT the YEAR that RACCOON girl ANNELIESE won THE Talent SHOW?"

"YEAH. She WAS brilliant! SHE'S performing AGAIN in THE competition THIS year."

"IN that CASE, I'll GO. She's BEAUTIFUL. I doubt THERE'S a MAN here THAT doesn't WANT to COURT her."

The first guard smirked. "I agree. I was THINKING I SHOULD wear LEATHER boots TO impress HER. And IN case OF stray ARROWS, you KNOW?"

The second nodded his head as they walked off. "OOOH, good IDEA! Maybe YOU could GET some FROM the COBBLER'S?"

"Sounds like it's time for a trip to the shoemakers."

I nodded and headed in that direction. I didn't see Anneliese anywhere so I went in only to jump to the rafters when I heard voices.

"Red really does seem to suit you, Miss."

I looked to see the Cobbler showing Anneliese some dark red boots that contrasted well with her fur. She shook her head. "No. I'm not certain. I need to look my best so I can win the Talent Show this year! The prize money might just be enough to get Uncle out of that circus job."

"What does your costume look like?"

"It's blue with silver and blue silk trimmings. The sleeves go to the wrist and have a string attached to them to place around my middle fingers to keep them in place"

Placing my chin in my hand, I thought for a minute. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a pair of blue and silver heels. Using my cane, I grabbed onto them and lowered them to an empty shelf nearby. I then tapped her on the shoulder with my cane. She turned around and gasped at the sight of the shoes. She immediately found they fit perfectly when she tried them on.

I smiled but then saw a flash of light on the other side of the wall. I looked back to see Anneliese walking out with the shoes and the Cobbler counting out his money. I shook my head.'My Mate instincts must be going haywire. Those shoes would look beautiful on Erica.'

When I came to the other room, I found blazers and a large machine making what seemed to be more Cyber-wolf guards. "Bentley, this doesn't look like any medieval cobbler's I've seen."

"Yeah, even woman's shoe stores aren't this diabolical!"

I nodded, while hoping Carmelita didn't hear Bentley's comment. She had a secret thing for shoes. "There's something fishy going on here."

"I agree. For now just find the leather and get out of there!"

I nodded and hooked onto the laser when it swung my way and held on tail it reached the other platform, thinking the entire time on what was the obsession Bad Guys had with Lasers. Crawling under a lazier table I found the leather.

"Great Job! With those materials I'm gonna be able to make you some very useful items."

With mission completed, I returned to the hideout and started on Dinner for all of us. As Bentley worked, I asked him if he could find anything on Anneliese. Something about her just bugged me.

What he found was not much but a bit was surprising . Anneliese was the niece of Sir Galleth and had started living with him a year ago at most when she lost her parents in a fire. Since she just barely made it out of the fire, she seemed to have purposely blocked off the horrible memories as well as most of the good ones making her past hard for her to remember. She worked for money to try to set her Uncle free from the circus. Though her memory was foggy, she still seem to remember she was engaged and that he promised to return for her when he gains his fortune...

Or at least that's what she believed he promised.

We all ate dinner, including some of the Root Beer and Baked good I got while I was out, before Bentley gave me the finished product of his work. It was a Robin Hood outfit, hat included, along with a bow. I want sure where I would get the arrows but I knew I'd find some sooner or later.

Dressed in my best, Medieval Style, I crouched onto of the sign that led towards the circus entrance.

Taking out my binnocucom I contacted Bentley.

"Alright, it seems that Galleth is being held somewhere inside those circus tents. Sly, I've spotted a small opening at the top of that far tent. What I don't see is how you are going to get up there."

"Ah... The circus!' I sighed only barely paying attention to Bentley. 'I could have been a great trapeze artist... Erica by my side... Murray the Strong Man..."

"Yeah, sure. Anyway the tent-"

"And with your shell, you'd be a natural for the guy they shoot out of the cannon every night."

"Right. Cannons. Look, you better go check out that tower, it's a good vantage point and we can assess the situation from there." he hung up.

I climbed up and landed on a platform off to the towers side. There was a bucket of ropes attached to arrows there and a good view of the circus from above. I smirked pulling out the bow and adjusting g the cap on my head. I picked up an arrow that had a rope attached to it and took aim. With a twang, the arrow hit the target not to far off and created a rope bridge for me to cross.

I crossed it and two there ropes until I was above the largest tent. Jumping down to the platform within, I pulled out my binnocucom and looked around.

"Wow, somehow this place looked smaller from the outside." Bigger on the inside as Erica would say.

"Sly, my scan shows the ground in here is rigged with motion detectors, which means you'll need to stay off the floor. You wanted to be a trapeze artist? Here's your chance."

"Cool. Hey, how does this sound for a stage name?' I put on my Italian accent and said. '"The Amazing Cooperoni!" Eh? Eh? Right? It's good."

Bentley deadpanned. "It sound like bad Italian takeout. I'm betting that platform is where they're keeping Galleth. Go check it out."

"Alright smart guy, on my way." Hanging up I saw another platform a little was away. I pulled out my bow, took an arrow from the barrel, aimed then let it fly. Bulls-eye! I walked across the rope and jumped to the other rope. I climbed down another rope to a platform that stood before three large rings. I shot another arrow strait to the target.

As I jumped onto the rope, the rings started spewing fire inward towards the rope I was on. I waited for the fire to shut off before walking through, while grumbling, "I hate the smell of singed tail fur!"

This continued for a while, shooting arrows, dodging fire and cannonballs and jumping from collapsing trumpets. Finally I made it to the platform Sir Galleth was on.

Walking up to him I saw him sitting there with a Jester had and scepter, a unamused look on his face. "Sir Galleth?' he looked over at me. 'My name is Sly.' His eyes lit up in recognition. 'I've come to rescue you."

He gave a small smile and placed a fist over his heart. "Ah! My heir, Sly Cooper. Greetings, friend. But I require no rescue! I'm am merely... biding my time until the... eh, proper strategic moment.' He said hesitantly. 'Yes. That."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, how long have you been... 'biding your time?'"

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I suppose it has been about a fortnight. Perhaps more. After that incident with Clockwerk and the Grail... it started going down hill five months afterwards."

"Alright. If you want to stay here with the cannonballs and flaming rings that's fine. I'm heading back to my gangs hideout to plan our next move." I turned away keeping a calm face on the outside but inwardly I was frustrated. I had been hoping he would help me find Erica.

"You make a good point, Sir.' He jumped down from where he sat and placed an arm around my shoulders. 'Yes, I believe the time is now! Let us rush forward, that we may strike a crushing blow against the black tyrant who imprisoned me and harmed the King!"

I stepped away from him holding up my hands. "Whoa, one thing at a time! Let's just get back to the hideout first."

He nodded and started forward. "Sir Galleth? Can you tell me where my Mate is? She's a Human/Raccoon hybrid named Erica Monica Cooper nee Thompson."

He froze. His tail drooped before turning to me with a sad look. "Son, I'm afraid your not going to like what I tell you."

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~
Once Sir Galleth calmed down, we returned to the hideout and got the whole story. The surrounding area was held in the iron grip of a fearsome Black Knight. His origin was a mystery, but his power and technological might was impressive. He even created a new type of guard which patrolled tirelessly and without mercy.

Under orders of the King, Galleth and his fellow Knights were to engage the Black Knight and bring him in for judgment. However Galleth had been captured when he tried to take on these guards singlehandedly after the others were knocked down.

Bentley searched every criminal data base in existence, even the one from Erica's dimension, and all he got was a Monty Python character but it wasn't the one we wanted. There was absolutely nothing on this Black Knight. All we had were more questions.

How had Let Paradox made an ally from this time period? And how did this Black Knight manage to create those mechanical monsters?

When we explained to Sir Galleth who we really were he was unusually calm about it. He admitted he wants to go and 'take the fight to the enemy and restore the Cooper Honor' but he wanted to explain the situation with Erica.

Clockwerk had managed to get his claws on the formula that turned Erica into a half-Raccoon and reverse engendered it to allow himself to become human. He snuck into the palace during the celebration to honor the dead and disguised himself as a servant and served Erica a poisoned wine.

He was able to chase Clockwerk off and the King and his own personal physician's were able to save her, but she was in bad shape. To make sure Clockwerk didn't find her again, they hid her under the name of Anneliese, Galleth's niece. Since she mostly had used her Human form around town, no one recognized her as a Raccoon.

I was surprised when we found this out but very happy! My Mate was alright! Probability a bit bruised and beaten with everything she went through but alright! The thing that confused me though was why our connection was still feeling like a filter was put between us.

When he asked Carmelita to come with him to fetch her, he insisted I stay for both mine and her sake. I reluctantly agreed. I was hopeful that, since he said the King's physician's were able to save her that she wasn't given that liquid anesthesia. When they returned, I was a bit worried she I saw Carmelita's sad look but brightened up when I saw Her.

She was wearing a beautiful blue and silver ball gown, the same one she described at the Cobbler's shop and the shoes I had picked and pointed out to her really made the outfit complete. I ran over and gathered her in my arms, hugging her close. When she didn't return the hug, I looked into her green eyes and I saw...

"Erica, are you alright?"

"Who... Do I know you?"