With luck, Grimm was able to secure Penelope and Guru a ride to the hospital. Grimm was unlucky as the officer arrested both him and the dazed hyena on site. While Penelope and Guru were escorted to the hospital comfortably, Grimm and the hyena travelled in handcuffs to the local police station.

Bentley shook his head and sighed softly. "Poor guy... He wanted to start over and he landed right back in police custody."

"There's nothing I can do about it now, they arrested Grimm on the spot. Fingerprint evidence will be the nail in the coffin." Two badgers sat nearby the turtle, the older one having been the one that spoke. It was the badger who informed Bentley on the arrest, allowing the turtle to overhear the radio conversation.

"He's innocent and we can prove it." The turtle retorted.

The younger badger made his own comment. "Grimm's case would likely be going into a trial. I don't advise letting a gang of thieves speak on Grimm's behalf..."

"There must be something..."

As the trio sat and waited, a hippo came over to them, sitting by Bentley. Murray sighed softly, having not a lot of good news to say.

"He's still over there... Waiting for her..."

"He is? It'll be several hours before she even gets out of the ER and several weeks before she can leave. All that could change if..." Bentley stopped himself when he received a glare from the chief inspector.

"Is he gonna stay until she wakes up?"

"I wouldn't doubt it."

They sat in silence for a good bit, the two otters wanting to personally discuss matters with Inspector Fox as well as everyone else involved.

It was at this point that Penelope and Guru arrived with an officer, the little mouse squealing and practically tackling Bentley.

"B-Bentley... I'm so scared... I thought..." She said shakily, sitting on his lap.

"Shh... It's okay. I got you. Nothing's gonna hurt you, okay?" He said, wrapping his arms around her waist to proof his point.

The small mouse felt fragile, something very strange to feel since her reign as The Black Baron. Gripping the turtle's torso, the look on her face went from fear to anger. "There's... gotta be something that can fix this.

Bentley was about to speak when a nurse came into the reception area. She approaches the group of three, reading from a clipboard.

"I just checked in on some of the patients. Inspector Fox is still in surgery. I have been told that she's going to recover and be out of here in a month's time."

Everyone within earshot lit up brightly when they heard the news of the inspector, the majority being composed of random Interpol agents with the small gang of thieves among them.

The nurse looked around before turning back to the group, a puzzled look on her face. "Did a male wolf come in with you? Another female patient is asking -well, more like begging for him."

Inspector Barkley scrolled through a notepad, getting the nurse's attention. "Would she happen to be a golden retriever? Surname, Strauss?"

"Mhmm. Diana Strauss. She's asking for a wolf named Grimm Hund."

Inspector Barkley turned to Bentley with a curious glance, the turtle smirking in response.

"We know Grimm Hund, but... he's occupied at the moment."

"Okay. Ms. Strauss is in recovery. We're having a specialist come in the morning to diagnose PTSD. Until then, we're keeping her here over-night."

"Alright. Thank you."

The nurse smiled and nodded before the younger badger, Elias James, got up to get her attention. "Um, Nurse?"

The nurse, revealed to be a ferret, turned and tilted her head slightly. "Yes?"

The others weren't really watching him and the badger did not mind that in the slightest. Elias was slightly blushing as he took his best shot. "I think... I suffered a head injury recently."

The nurse looked over at him curiously, making a quick examination. "There doesn't seem to be any trauma or wound. Are you sure?"

The Sargent glanced around, noticing now that his superior was listening. He still had a chance to back down. "Mhmm... I'm sure because... I can only think about how gorgeous you look in that outfit."

The ferret giggled and turned away with a light blush. Her eyes went wide before she turned back to the Sargent. "Is... your name...?"

"Elias Barkley, ma'am." The badger was cautious and waited to see if he had been right about her.

"B-Barkley... Right... Well..." The ferret glanced at her watch, biting her lower lip. "I'm gonna give you the number of a great doctor and- um... Call me-him... Call him tomorrow. Before noon?"

Elias nodded as the ferret scribbled a name and number onto a piece of paper before excusing herself. The Sargent smiled at the written name, folding the note and sitting next to his superior.

"So... Elias Barkley?" Bentley raised an eyebrow and glared at the Sargent who responded with a face-palm.

Inspector James Barkley took over the conversation. "Oh come on, Bentley... You know what we've been trying to accomplish... We aren't done here. Romeo and Juliet aren't-"

"Hmph. ConstableAlias... Should've known, James... Why don't you two start explaining things from the beginning?"

###

Sly stirred and open his eyes as he heard a knock at the door. He looked around to see that he was in a hospital patient's room. The patient was not here... yet. He would be insured that Carmelita would be rolled into this room when she returned from surgery. A second knock brought him completely back to the moment; a female voice called from the other side of the door. "Inspector Fox?"

"Carme- Inspector Fox is still in surgery. Are you her surgeon?"

"No... I'm not."

A second female voice, one more energetic and enthusiastic was heard. "Oh! It's you! I have news! Great news!"

Sly sat silently, listening for something of interest.

"Slow down, Beverly... Tell me what's wrong."

"Beverly? Sounds like they've met before... Or she read the name tag... Derp..."

"Ah! Diana... Oh my- I- um... I owe you so much."

"You do?"

"Yes! Yes! I was having my doubts about him... Like that we were gonna drift apart... But you told me that we were gonna be closer than ever."

"So I was right about him?"

"Yes! Elias looks so handsome... Just like I thought he would. He recognized me in my uniform. He's a Sargent of Interpol. Not only that, though. He works with his uncle."

"He does sound nice, Bev. I guess you're thinking of the future already?"

"Beverly Barkley? Oooh... That name fits so well! Gah! I have to go!"

Sly had his ears perked in attention as Interpol names were hinted. "Barkley... He certainly isn't a nephew... Who exactly is this Elias guy?"

"Raccoon? Are you still in there? I was hoping Carmelita was in there... She... should've heard that."

"Was it important? Can you tell me?"

The door slowly opened, Diana wearing a monotone-color robe and matching sweatpants. Snugly wrapped in the retriever's arm was what appeared to be a teddy bear. Sly smirked when he noticed that the plush animal was grey with a canine snout and tail. "I was... hoping to talk to her about some things..."

"Maybe you and I can talk. How's your arm?" Sly took notice of the bandage that Diana seemed to try to hide.

"It hurt at first... But... I hurt somewhere else a lot more."

"Were you shot there too?"

"N-No... But... It feels like my chest is heavy. I can't breathe some times."

"Hmm. Sounds familiar."

"Yeah?" The golden retriever sat on a chair and pulled her knees to her chest, hugging her plush doggy tightly in the process. "Why are you hurting?"

"Well... Carmelita... She means so much to me. I worry that I'd lose her."

"Hmm. Well... Um... What was your name?"

"Heh. My name is Sly. Sly Cooper."

"Well, Sly. I have a huge hunch right now. A real strong feeling about something."

"Okay."

"Did you have a premonition?"

"A what?"

"A dream, but like, you thought it was a dream. Maybe more like Déjà Vu?"

"I had a nightmare that seemed real. That count?"

"Mhmm. Was Ms. Fox in your nightmare?"

"Yeah... It was so weird... And it happened. Like, my nightmare turned real like I predicted the future."

"Sly? Can I tell you a secret? Maybe something that Carmelita should hear too?"

The raccoon nodded, letting Diana continue.

"Dreams aren't supposed to predict the future. That's not what they are. They are a manifestation of your subconscious. Your own mind is trying to tell you something. My job is to make you understand and listen."

"What am I supposed to understand then?"

"Depends on what you dreamed."

When Sly hesitated, Diana reassured him. "It must've been painful. Just tell me what happened to her and how you felt."

"She... she was lying dead right in front of me and... I felt so lost... So broken, like I wasn't sure what to do anymore. I hugged her dead body until I finally woke up."

"Hmm... Well, I have a question for you. You're not gonna like it, but you need to answer it."

"Okay. go ahead."

"What would you do if Carmelita passed away in the operating room?"

"It's... not going to happen."

"You and I know that it could happen. That's why you're hurting."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Just answer."

"I wouldn't know how to answer that. I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"Can you describe how you feel about her?"

"What's up with wanting to know my personal life?"

"Just tell me. I promise you'd feel better."

"Fine... I'll say it. I'll scream it if I have to. I love Carmelita Fox. I have been in love with her for years. I love how she looks. I love her interests of art and music. I love that smirk on her face when she thinks she has me captured. I practically gave up my lineage for us to be a normal couple."

"I see. Now... Go over what you've just told me. Think about that dream and how you felt."

"I... I love her. I want her to be okay, because... I can't live without her."

Diana smiled and nodded. "Was that too hard?"

Sly collapsed in his chair after realizing that he had abruptly stood. "Is it really that simple?"

"Mhmm. Looks like you got the idea."

"Alright. Now it's your turn."

"W-What?"

"You know what."

"Oh... um... I've already figured it out. My dream was a bit different. I was camping a few weeks ago and I fell asleep in my tent late at night. Outside, I heard the sound of thunder. It scared me so much that I felt a hard feeling in my chest. When the clouds went away, I saw the moon and it was the light that I had. I was still dreaming. I dreamed that the sound of thunder was a gunshot to the heart and that the moon was the coroner shining a flashlight in my eyes. I had to calm myself down and convince myself that the dream was a dream."

"So... What do you think it meant?"

"I was scared of the dark when I was little and I had someone with me to tell me everything was okay. My parents died before I turned 18. I guess it has something to do with me being alone. I got threats from a guy who told me that I gave him bad lottery numbers. He said that he'd be coming by today to set things right. I knew better."

"Do you remember your date with Grimm?"

"D-Date?" Diana blushed. "You mean our appointment?"

"Whatever you want to call it." Sly smirked.

"Well... I remember Grimm. He was so nice to me. When my power went out, he held me so close. I felt... safe. It all... felt right."

"Now it's my turn to ask an odd question. What did you have in your hands?"

"W-Well. It was a card."

"Like this?" Sly asked, producing a trading card with the fox on it.

Diana smiled and shook her head, producing the actual card from her hand. "When I saw this card, I knew that my dream was just a bad dream."

"What did the card say?"

"The Empress."

###