Chapter 1: How it All Began

It was a crisp morning in Paris, France. The colored leaves hovered in the air as they danced alongside the streets. Pedestrians greeted each other as they carried on about their days, heading to work or dropping their children off at school. Some shivered as the breeze flew past them while others paid no mind. The morning traffic was going along smoothly, which was unnatural for a Monday morning. While it was usually a chaotic mess, today seemed to be a rare exception. Perfect for an everyday citizen, but even better for an everyday criminal. Sitting inside a black van were a gang of mask-wearing thugs loading up their weapons as the unmasked driver - a brown wolf - stalked the bank's entryway. His blue eyes narrowed as he continued to observe, taking in the sight of several citizens entering the immense building. The vibrations from his phone snapped the driver out of his concentration as he fished in his pockets and brought the device out in the open, reading the text.

Now.

The van soon pulled up in front of the bank and the masked thugs scattered out, alerting many civilians before they all screamed and ran for it. The thugs - especially their leader - paid no mind. Said leader arrived shortly in another black van, wearing all black with a matching trench coat and gloves. He was a male red fox with scruffy features and dark brown eyes. He entered the building just as his men started firing their weapons and shouting commands. The vulpine walked towards the center of the bank, where two of his goons brought a panicking middle-aged female golden doodle in a pinstripe suit. She trembled as she made eye contact with the vulpine, who knelt down to her level after being shoved onto the floor.'

The vulpine offered the golden doodle a solicitous smile. "Good morning," he greeted. "I'd like to make a withdraw."

"I-I-I'm a-afraid I-I can't allow...s-someone l-l-like-"

"Like who?" the vulpine asked with a furrowed brow. "Like me? Like us?" he motioned around the room as he stood. "Ma'dam, I am flabbergasted! We're just citizens looking to withdraw some money - the very thing that humanity needs to survive! We're not...entirely different, you and I. We both wake up, get dressed, eat our breakfast, go to work, have lunch, go home to make dinner, take one good shit before going off to bed! So tell me..." he knelt back down and stared intensely at the woman. "What kind of person am I?"

The golden doodle gulped. "A...A criminal!"

She tried to sound brave and confident in her response, and it was noticeable to everyone in the room. The vulpine's lips twitched until a smile was formed. He soon let out a laugh, which nervously got the golden doodle to start chuckling herself. However, her timid joy was soon cut short as the vulpine took a gun out of his coat's inner-pocket and aimed the barrel at her.

"'A criminal'," he repeated dryly. "'A criminal', she says!" he announced, earning some laughter from his men. His attention fell back onto the frightened woman. "My dear, I can be so much more than that, I assure you. Now, unless you want to have your face unrecognizable by the time we're through, I suggest you be a good bitch and provide me and my boys some excellent customer service."

The female golden doodle gulped in response, her entire body shaking like a leaf. Before she could say anything else, the sound of police sirens developed outside. A soft groan escaped the vulpine's mouth, as if he'd forgotten about the law-abiding citizens. His head turned to his left and onto the brown wolf that was driving the other van moments ago.

"David, be a sport and keep the men in blue busy, will ya? Me 'an the boys here are gonna a tour with the manager."

The wolf nodded in response. "'Aight Kevin," he turned and approached group of thugs. "Ya heard the fox! Move it!"

Kevin grinned before he had his two goons forcibly lift the bank's manager up. He motioned to his left with his armed hand, having the golden doodle lead them towards a door on the other side of the counter. Little did the criminals know, this heist was going to soon take a rather interesting turn.

XXXXXXXXXX

Just outside the bank, police cars swarmed the building's exterior. Citizens were pushed back for their safety before security road blockers were placed in front of them. In the midst of all this, Inspector James Barkley of INTERPOL stood while shouting orders to his troops. As if he thought things were going to get tougher, another cop car appeared, where two figures stepped outside. A sigh of relief had escaped the badger's mouth as his eyes soon fell upon the approaching duo: Inspector Carmelita Fox and her newly-hired partner, Constable Sly Cooper. It was hard to believe, but one year ago, it was confirmed by Carmelita that the once thieving raccoon had been self-diagnosed with amnesia. Carmelita had explained to Barkley about the situation upon returning from Kaine Island, and while the badger was reluctant at first, he agreed to give the raccoon a chance.

Carmelita could hardly believe it herself, but Sly Cooper was actually a great person to be around. While it was fun chasing him during his thieving days, working with him on the same side of the law was more enjoyable. They were able to have normal conversations, work together as a functioning team, and above all, grew closer. It was more accepting in Carmelita's eyes to become more romantically involved with an officer of the law versus a world-renowned thief. In the span of one year, the two went from partners in law to friends, and from friends to eventually something more. It was no secret in INTERPOL Headquarters that the duo were smitten with each other, which made it less stressful for them to actually be romantic at work. The thought of running around in secret was difficult.

"Inspector," Barkley nodded at the vixen. His head turned to Sly, his brow raised. "Constable."

"A pleasure as always, Sir." replied the raccoon in a facetious tone.

Carmelita quickly diverted the badger's vexed attention away from her partner by getting straight to business. "What's the situation, Sir?"

Barkley brought his attention to the vixen with a huff. "A group of thugs in two large black vans pulled up here about half and hour ago. We have multiple hostage situations inside. They're armed and dangerous."

"Who are they? Part of a gang?"

"Possibly," Barkley shrugged before lighting his cigar. "Got a couple eye witnesses - those who ran upon seeing those bastards entering the building. All of 'em were masked while armed, except for two: a red fox and a brown wolf, both male. Another eye witness suspects they're part of a terrorist organisation, but it's hard to say. Truth be told, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case."

Carmelita nodded. "Alright, Constable Cooper and I will try to sneak in to see what we can do."

"I've already sent out a few cops in there," Barkley informed. "Haven't heard from 'em yet. Be careful..."

With a nod, Carmelita tugged onto Sly's sleeve before getting closer to the building, searching for any discreet entryways.

"Why do you do that?" inquired Carmelita.

"Hm?" Sly replied, cautiously moving alongside his partner. "Whatever do you mean?"

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "You really shouldn't edge Barkley on like that, Sly. You could get into some serious trouble one of these days."

"Just trying to make working in INTERPOL less intolerating, Carm. Pardon me for bringing some charm."

"But must be a smartass to our boss?"

Ignoring the lecturing vixen, Sly continued his search. Making their way down an alleyway, the raccoon observed the other building next to them. It was roughly the same size of the bank, and the upper windows to the bank's main lobby were right across the roof of the neighboring building. Sly grinned and quickly climbed up by using the drain pipe. Carmelita watched as her partner climbed up, not completely understanding what he was planning to do.

"Sly!" she yelled up in a hushed voice. "What are you doing?"

"Breaking and Entering!"

Before Carmelita knew it, Sly was running across the other building's rooftop and jumped across the alleyway's gap. Carmelita gasped and covered her mouth, frozen in her spot as her eyes widen in shock as her raccoon partner crashed through the window. Seconds later, a weasel goon was thrown out of the window with a scream, the pile of trash in front of the vixen breaking his fall. This snapped Carmelita out of her shock and she groaned with displeasure.

"Goddamnit, Ringtail..." she sighed before making her way over to the fallen goon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sly brushed his shoulders and cracked his neck once the goon was dealt with. A grin appeared on his face when he heard footsteps approaching the room he was in. Sly quickly hid underneath the office desk, his pistol loaded. Two more goons entered the room - one weasel, and one badger - and started searching for the source of the noise.

"Hey, where's Vinny?" one of them asked.

"Somethin' ain't right..." the other observed.

Sly grabbed onto the badger's foot once he stepped closer to the desk and shot him in the leg, making the mammal scream in pain and fell down. The weasel jumped in surprise, barley having enough time to react before Sly jump up from under the desk and shot the weasel in the shoulder, causing him to scream and drop to his knees. Sly ran across the room and punched the weasel in the face, knocking him out cold. The raccoon's ears twitched once he heard a gun click from behind. Sly quickly moved as soon as the badger's gun fired off, avoiding the bullets while sneaking around the mammal. Once Sly got close enough, he knocked the firearm out of the badger's hands and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close to his face.

"Who are you guys?!"

"I ain't tellin' ya shit, Copper!"

Sly growled and punched him across the face, blood spewing from the criminal's mouth. "Talk!"

"We're just a group of crooks, I swear!" the badger exclaimed. "Just a simple bank job, honest!"

"Ya got a boss?" Sly demanded.

The badger nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Kevin Trox and David Wolfherd!"

"And where are they?!"

"Trox is being lead to the main vault by the manager, and Wolfherd is downstairs at the main lobby! That's all I know, I swear!"

"Thank you," Sly replied before knocking the badger out. He got up and bought his mic up to his face. "Carm, I've got some updates."

"Oh great," Carmelita sighed. "What are they?"

"This gang has two bosses - a Kevin Trox and David Wolfherd. Trox is being taken to the main vault by the bank manager, and Wolfherd is at the main lobby."

Carmelita hummed on her end. "Yeah, we've already got that information out of that one weasel you threw out the window."

Sly grinned. "Yeah, but I bet I got that piece of info before you did."

"I hardly believe that," Sly could practically hear the vixen rolling her eyes. "Get back out here, Sly. We need a game plan."

"What, but the party's just getting started."

"Sly? What are you-"

"Just keep an eye on the lobby doors, gorgeous."

"Just hold on one goddamn min-"

Sly shut off the mic before making his way out of the office, going through the halls until he stumbled across the entrance to the main lobby. Sly cautiously opened the door and silently took out the guard in front of him. The raccoon then observed his surroundings, seeing that the whole lobby was under surveillance by this gang of criminals. Sly then climbed up to perch himself onto a statue mounted on the wall above the door, getting a better view of the place. He eventually caught sight of a large, muscular brown wolf in a black tank top and camouflage black pants. He also wore black finger-less gloves and matching boots. If Sly had to guess, then this had to be David Wolfherd. His blue eyes narrowed as he watched the bank's main doors, cracking his neck as if he were preparing for a fight.

"What is taking them?" David growled. "Surely, the vault isn't that far!"

"Bored, are we?" Sly asked out loud before leaping off the statue and landing on the main floor, roughly twelve feet away from the wolf. "Then how about some entertainment?"

At first, all guns were aimed at the raccoon, but were soon dismissed by David. The wolf eyed the raccoon in front of him and let out a chuckle.

"What are ya, some schmuck trying to play hero?"

"Nope," Sly answered. "I just wanted to get a closer look at ya, big guy. Wanting to know if you're as tough as you look."

David eyed the raccoon, trying to see if he was joking. "You're either foolishly brave or foolishly stupid. I've crushed many men under my feet, and there hasn't been a fight I could not win!"

"Then how about a demonstration?" Sly challenged, getting into a sighting stance.

"With pleasure..."

David charged towards Sly, followed by a series of punches. Sly dodged the wolf's attacks with ease, eventually finding an opening by sucker-punching his opponent across the face. David growled and tried to grab Sly, but to no avail. The raccoon leaped above him and landed on his back, wrapping his arms around David's neck in a choke hold. David grew more irritated by the minute; he aimed to slam Sly against the wall behind them. The raccoon got the hint and quickly released David, leaping off him a moment before the large wolf collided with the wall. David hissed in pain, his eyes clenched as his head began to swell. The guards watched as their leader was then grabbed onto by Sly and tossed towards the main doors. Not too long after his victory, the other police officers barged into the building. Kevin and David's goons opened fire upon the entry, creating havoc.

"SLY COOPER!"

Sly turned to see a very livid Carmelita Fox approaching. A cheeky grin appeared on the raccoon's face as he took cover; Carmelita followed suit.

"Hey Carm, welcome to the party!"

"Don't start with me!" the vixen hissed before firing at a badger goon. "Barkley's gonna have your ass for this one!"

"Meh, I'll take my chances." Sly shrugged before continuing to fire.

Carmelita frowned. "You really need to start listening to him more, Sly."

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Sly shouted over the gunfire with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, I'm heading to the main vault to take down Trox."

Carmelita groaned. "Sly, please, just wait for- Sly?" Carmelita found that she was too late the second she turned her head. Her eyes caught sight of her raccoon partner making a run for the main vault. "Why the hell do I even bother?"

XXXXXXXXXX

One of the weasel goons shut off his phone before making his way towards his boss. "The van's making its way around the building," he informed. "Should be here any moment."

"Good," Kevin nodded in response. "Get the bags ready and prepare for a fast getaway. I don't want to lose anymore men on this job."

The entryway busted open to reveal an armed raccoon. Sly glared at the vulpine in front of him, ignoring the multiple guns pointed at his direction. Kevin looked calm despite having a gun aimed at him. He gave Sly an unimpressed look before sighing with annoyance.

"Ah, so the men in blue have arrived. Tell me, are you the reason for all that gunfire out there?"

"Ya bet I am," Sly replied, taking cautious steps further ahead. "And I'm also the one placing you under arrest. Lower your weapons and raise your arms above your heads. Backup will be here shortly."

"Funny..." Kevin reached for the bank manager and held her close to him at gunpoint. "I was just about to say something similar."

To Sly's surprise, the wall to his right erupted, where a large black van sat on the other side. Sly fell onto the ground in result of the blast, his hand rubbing his head as he tried to steady himself. Kevin stared at Sly as he shot the bank manager down, making his eyes widen with anger. The vulpine still kept his calm composure as he casually walked towards the van, firing shots at Sly before the van took off.

Sly, who had taken cover, growled with anger and made a run for outside, barley catching the van as it made a sharp left turn. Sly frantically looked around until he caught sight of a pedestrian parking their motorcycle. Getting an idea, Sly made a dash for the bike and hoped on, flashing his badge before taking off.

"Hey!" the owner of the bike exclaimed.

Sly chased the van to the best of his ability. It was not long before another car appeared - this one belonging to Carmelita. She looked over at Sly while trying to keep up with the chase.

"What happened?!"

"Trox surprised me!" Sly shouted back.

"We're full of surprises, too!" Carmelita focused on the road, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. "If you have any crazy ideas, now's the perfect time to pull one off!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Sly grinned before speeding off after the van.

Sly reached into his jacket's inner pocket and brought out his firearm. His eyes widen when one of Kevin's goons peaked from the passenger window and fired at him. Sly dodged the bullets to the best of his ability and fired back, careful not to get hit. It wasn't long before Sly got an idea. As soon as they were approaching the Louver, Sly aimed and fired at one of the van's back tires, causing the vehicle to swerve and eventually crash in the museum's courtyard. The raccoon quickly hopped off the bike and ran towards the van, his gun still aimed. Carmelita arrived just in time before the van burst opened and guns started blazing. The duo ducked for cover as other officers arrived.

Sly soon felt a fist collide with his face that sent him down. Kevin Trox stood over him, his gun aimed right at his face. Sly quickly reached and fired his own gun, shooting the firearm right out of the vulpine's hand. Kevin slightly flinched and looked as Sly stood up to face him.

"It's over, Trox. You're under arrest."

Kevin sighed and raised his left hand. "Ya got me, copper..."

With his right hand, Kevin quickly grabbed hold of his knife and leaped towards Sly, who barley had time to react. The raccoon struggled at first, but he eventually got the best of Kevin. The vulpine screamed in severe pain once his own knife sliced across his right eye; he covered his face before Sly knocked him out with a hard punch.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ya think this is over, Cooper?! When I get out, you're a dead man!"

Sly watched as Kevin was taken away on a medical stretcher with a duo of officers escorting the paramedics. His sliced eyed was wrapped in gauze, which was heavily stained with blood. The rest of the goons where taken away as well, cuffed and seated in various police cars. All seemed peaceful, until Carmelita approached the raccoon with an unreadable expression.

"Well, this was fun." Sly said joked.

"Yeah, well, it's about to get even better," Carmelita sighed, clearly irritated. "Barkley wants to see us as soon as we return to HQ."

Sly frowned at this. Why was he not surprised?

The only sound that could be heard in Chief Barkley's office was the clock, with each tick making both the vixen and raccoon more uncomfortable. Carmelita sighed, then crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. She peered over at Sly with her eyes, who was bouncing his left leg while twiddling his thumbs. He avoided eye contact by staring down at his hands, acting like a child about to be scowled by their parent. Which, ironically, seemed that way most of the time while working alongside Carmelita.

Barkley sat behind his desk, his arms folded across his chest, his whole body stiff. His eyes were narrowed, and his brows furrowed. A cigar was in the badger's mouth, puffing smoke with each heavy breath he took. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Barkley was pissed.

Extremely pissed.

Taking a daring chance, Sly's eyes wondered up to face the livid badger in front of them, whose expression soured even more.

"Sssooo..." Sly cleared his throat. "What's up, Chief?"

"'What's up'? 'What's up'?! I'll tell ya what's up, Cooper - MY PATIENTS! That's 'what's up'!" he slammed his fists onto the desk, nearing cracking the wooden surface. Surprisingly, neither Sly or Carmelita flinched. This was just a typical Barkley outburst. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"I was doing my job," Sly responded. "I broke into the bank and-"

"ALONE!" Barkley interrupted. "You went into that bank ALONE! No backup, no communication-"

"Well, technically, I did communicate with Carm..."

Carmelita's mouth dropped as she snapped her head over towards him. "You cut me off! I had absolutely no way of talking to you!"

"Exactly, I needed to be sneaky if I wanted to-"

"WHICH FAILED!" Barkley roared. "And don't get me started on that car chase, Cooper! You have any idea how much damage was caused?!"

"I did my job!" Sly barked back. "I caught Trox, didn't I?!"

"Innocent lives were put in danger!" Barkley exclaimed. "You're a loose cannon who doesn't always think things through! A part of me finds it hard to believe that you're one hundred percent redeemed! If I ought-"

"Chief!" Carmelita exclaimed, silencing the room.

Barkley sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Just go, Cooper. Outta my sight..."

Without another word, Sly looked over at Carmelita before exiting the room. With a heavy sigh, the vixen looked back over at the badger in front of her, who was slowly starting to simmer down.

"You got to stop bringing that up, Chief..."

"It's the true, isn't it?" Barkley asked. "When you brought him back last year, claiming he had lost all his memories, I was skeptical. Hell, I still am."

"But he's loyal, is he not?" Carmelita inquired. "His methods may not always be...the best, but he does get the job done. You have to at least admit to that."

Barkley nodded. "I do," he then leaned forward and folded his hands together on the desk. "Carmelita, I want nothing more than to believe you. However...if I see, or even hear of him doing anything shady, then I'm firing him via arrest. That also applies to pulling off anymore crazy and stupid stunts."

"I'll talk to him," Carmelita assured before getting up to leave.

"Carmelita," the vixen stopped just as she was about to open the door and turned around to face her boss. "You have to at least admit...that there's still a bit of thief in him. The things he use- can do still. You have to at least see it too."

Carmelita pursed her lips and said nothing more before exiting the office, shutting the door behind her.

Sly stood outside on the apartment's balcony, his arms resting upon the railing. He took in the sights of the city, doing his best to ignore the chilly breeze as the sun was setting. A sigh escaped his mouth as he closed his eyes. He was hiding something from Carmelita; something that could destroy what they have forever.

He didn't have amnesia.

Honestly, Sly didn't know what he was thinking. When Carmelita was being threatened by Doctor M, he took charge and risked his life to protect her. Sly told himself that he would tell the vixen how he truly felt, but that never came. Instead, he faked memory loss in order to get closer to her. What a horrible move, on his part. It may have seemed to be a good idea at the time, but now...Sly regretted it. There was no way he could do this any longer; he wasn't a cop, and he never will be. This wasn't him. Still, he was in this too deep. Sly felt irritated at himself for allowing this charade to continue.

The sound of the sliding door opening made the raccoon's ears twitch.

"Sly?" came that angelic voice that Sly loved to hear. He turned his head to see Carmelita approaching with two mugs in her hands. "I made coco. Would you care for some?"

"Thanks," Sly said before taking one of the mugs.

Carmelita stood next to him, eyeing the city with him as the lights began to shine throughout the darkness. A small smile appeared on her face before taking a sip out of her own mug.

"I love the lights," Sly heard her say. "Especially the ones on the Eiffel Tower - so colorful and vibrant."

Sly hummed in response while taking another sip from his mug. "Yeah, I agree..."

Carmelita frowned at the tone of his voice and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sly...I know you were trying to do your job. But we're supposed to be a team; you can't just do whatever you want in situations like that."

"I know, I know..." Sly grumbled. "Don't be a hero."

"Only Barkley would say something like that," Carmelita retorted while shaking her head. "What I'm trying to say is...try to be more careful. I love you, and I...I couldn't bare losing you. You kept ignoring me and Barkley today and went out to face these guys on your own. That was not smart."

Sly let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose I can get a little carried away."

"A little?" Carmelita teased.

Sly felt himself go warm at the sight of Carmelita's smirk. He loved this about her; despite the rough side, the vixen can be very alluring and always bring a smile to his face. Even when things seemed dark, they always made each other feel better.

"Thank you Carm," Sly smiled. "Really, I mean it."

"You're welcome, mi amor."

The two shared a passionate kiss before cuddling in each other's embrace. They stood there on the balcony for a while, enjoying the beautiful view of the city before returning inside. From there, the two lovers shared a night of passion before allowing sleep to take over them.

As Carmelita slept, Sly laid wide awake. He looked over at the vixen and frowned. Sly realized that he needed to tell her the truth, one way or another.

~ Two Months Later ~

"Stop messing with it!" Carmelita scowled.

"I can't help it!" Sly whined, tugging at his bow-tie. "It's so uncomfortable! I think you tied it too tight."

Carmelita rolled her eyes. She was wearing a navy blue dress with her hair let down. Sly was wearing a black tuxedo with a bow-tie that matched the vixen's dress.

"Here, lemme fix it," she sighed while reaching up. "There, feel better?"

Sly hummed with approval. "Yeah, much better! And speaking of, are you feeling okay? You haven't been feeling ill again, have you?"

Carmelita shook her with with a small smile. "No, mi amor. Though I should get my test results back any time now."

"I hope it was nothing serious..." Sly frowned, his voice sounding worried.

For a while now, Carmelita had on-again and off-again stomach bugs. After two days of Sly's pleading, Carmelita eventually gave in and went to the doctor's earlier in the day to get a check-up and some blood work done. Sly was happy that she went and was feeling better right now, but how long would that last? Just as Sly was about to say something else, one of their female coworkers approached them, or more specifically, Carmelita. The vixen smiled and went off with her to join a small group near the dance floor. She turned turned back over to Sly and gave him an apologetic smile before bringing her attention back to her coworker who was dragging her away.

Sly smiled at his vixen lover before bringing his attention to the party. INTERPOL was throwing a gala - a yearly event at the end of the year to honor those in the force with awards and to simply have to good time. Carmelita was currently partaking in a group conversation with some of their fellow officers, laughing every now and then. Sly preferred to stay away from the crowd; he had always isolated himself since he joined the force. The sound of champagne glasses clicking together, mixed with chatter filled the ball room. It was a miracle that the music being provided was able to be heard, in Sly's opinion.

The raccoon brought his attention to the dance floor, his eyes now fixed on the people dancing. In a strange way, it was almost calming. The raccoon was so engrossed to the relaxing music and scenery that he almost didn't hear the sound of high heels approaching him.

"Constable Cooper," came a feminine voice. "how charming it is to finally meet you."

Sly's attention snapped as soon as he heard the foreign voice and turned his head. A female raccoon in an indigo dress, silver earnings and medium-length black hair approached to his right. Her hips swayed as she walked, eventually coming to a complete stop. She gave him a coy smile bowed her head, her blue eyes staring straight at him.

"Pardon me, but who are you?" Sly inquired.

"I am Juliette Berger," the female replied kindly, her French accent slightly thick. "I've been watching you this evening, and it looks to me like you could use some company. Care if I join?"

Sly gave her a friendly smile. "That's kind of you, but I'm afraid I'm already with someone."

"Nothing wrong with having a friend, Monsieur Cooper."

"Alright then," Sly nodded in approval. "I welcome your company."

Juliette hummed with a smile before bringing her attention to the dance floor, watching alongside Sly. He found himself looking over to his right, studying Juliette. The inner thief in him said that something was off about this individual. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

After what seemed like an eternity without talking, Juliette spoke up. "I know who you are."

"...Yes, I believe you do," Sly chuckled, slightly caught off guard by the sudden tone change in her voice. "'Constable Cooper', is what you addressed me as."

"You can cut the act, Monsieur. I know you're lying. About everything."

At hearing this, Sly's heart stopped and his body went numb. He cautiously moved his head more to fully face his company. Juliette looked smug as she caught Sly's attention at last. She almost looked as if she won the whole pot in gambling.

"Gotcha now," she stated. "Surprised?"

"H-How did you...?"

"I can read people like a book," Juliette informed. "It's one of my...many talents. Though I must say, you were quite the difficult book to read. I will congratulate you on that, Monsieur Cooper. Took me awhile to finally find you, but here we are. You played the game well, mon amie. But now is the time to stop."

Sly's eyes narrowed. Whoever this woman was, he was able to unmask his charade. And if she really does possess 'many talents', then who knows what else Juliette was capable of. Sly turned to see Carmelita, who was still distracted with her friends across the room.

"Before you ask, fear not. I have no intention of blowing your cover."

Sly was surprised by Juliette's assurance. He turned back to face the female raccoon and looked over to one of the balconies. "Perhaps we should talk about this outside?"

"Agreed," Juliette nodded. "I would hate for someone to hear us."

Unknowingly to Sly, Carmelita caught him sneaking his way outside on one of the balconies with another woman. She eyed the female raccoon, taking in her slim figure and gorgeous indigo dress. Her heart broke a little at the sight, though she kept negative thoughts out of her head. Carmelita excused herself from her friends before making her way across the ballroom, towards the balcony's location.

As soon as the duo were outside, Sly made sure the coast was clear before looking over at the female in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I did not lie when I gave you my name," Juliette assured. "Though I must inform you this - I am an agent from the City of Thieves. I assume you've heard of it?"

Sly shook his head. "Can't say that I have, no."

"Ah," nodded Juliette. "Well, you've used ThiefNet in the past, no? Who do you think operates that network?"

"Never paid much attention," Sly admitted sheepishly. "Bentley always took care of that."

"Which is exactly why I've been tracking you down. Your turtle friend had asked me to locate you."

Sly felt his lips part in shock. "B-Bentley? He's been looking for me?"

Juliette smiled. "Indeed. You've got a loyal friend, Monsieur Cooper. He claimed to have been searching for you for some time, but eventually came to the conclusion that you did not wish to be found. And so, he gave up trying. Until recently, that is."

"What changed?"

Juliette's expression turned serious. "Everything, Monsieur Cooper. I'm afraid I bring troubling news. You are in danger."

"What kind of danger?"

"I don't know all the details, I'm afraid. All Bentley told me was that there was some activity regarding your family legacy. Something - or someone - is out to get you, and they won't just stop there. Those who are close to you will suffer similar fates."

Sly took in Juliette's words and immediately thought back to two months back, when Kevin Trox was being hauled off. He swore revenge on him, but that couldn't seem right. Could it?

"You're not talking about Kevin Trox, are you? Or David Wolfherd?"

"They're both is still incarcerated," Juliette confirmed. "No, this is something else - much bigger than them."

"And how can I trust you?"

Juliette gave him an amused look. "You can't, though Bentley does. I managed to find you, didn't I?"

Multiple thoughts were going through Sly's head. If Bentley had indeed went through so much trouble to find him, then it was surely urgent. And if he had gone out of his way to hire someone, then he was sure as hell desperate. Sly had to admit, things did seem dire. If what Juliette says is true, then there could be a chance that Carmelita could end up in serious danger. His heart shattered at the thought. Perhaps this was finally it - this was his sign to come clean about everything. If only it was under better circumstances.

"Here," Juliette's voice snapped Sly out of his thoughts. She handed him a card with an address written in black ink. "Come to this address whenever you can. I've also left you a package at your apartment under Bentley's request. Please do consider, Monsieur Cooper. Times are getting darker by the minute."

Sly stared at the card before putting it away in his coat pocket. He sighed and looked up at the sky. Could this really be happening?

"Sly?" he turned to see Carmelita approaching him, her expression worrisome. "Who was that woman?"

"No one to worry about," Sly assured with an assuring smile. "Just a reporter wanting to do a story on INTERPOL."

Carmelita raised an eyebrow. "And she picked you of all people?"

Sly chuckled. "Surprising, right? I had to tell her I was the last person who she should interview." he then let out a fake yawn and looked at his watch. "I'm gonna head back to the apartment. Are you ready to head back?"

"No," Carmelita shook her head. "I'm...gonna stay here a bit longer. Don't want to miss the award ceremony."

"Right," Sly nodded. "See you later, then?"

Carmelita nodded with a small smile, kissing her raccoon lover goodbye before watching him walk away. Her heart sank, all emotions crumbled together as her fists clenched. Unknowingly to Sly and the mysterious woman, she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. It was that moment that all of Carmelita's worst fears came to life. That Barkley was right all along.

Sly Cooper was still a thief. He had never lost his memories.

To say that Sly felt uneasy was an understatement. His mind was flooded with thoughts he never thought he'd have again. Bentley was actually looking for him; he got so desperate that he hired a professional to hunt him down. What kind of danger was he in, exactly? Did it involve Bentley and Murray? What happened while he was gone? And Carmelita, would she be put in danger? Whatever the situation was, it was clear that it needed to be investigated. The thought of seeing his childhood friends again - his brothers - would be amazing. Still, it pained Sly knowing what that costed.

He was going to break Carmelita's heart.

Just as Juliette had said, a packed was waiting for Sly as soon as he returned to his and Carmelita's apartment. It didn't take too long to figure out exactly what it was. Sly felt bittersweet as he held his family's cane in his hands. It felt weird holding onto it again after whole year of disappearing. Yet somehow, it felt right. The feeling of going back out there with the gang was exciting, yet terrifying. How would Bentley and Murray react to seeing him again? They'd be relieved, sure, but wouldn't they also be angry? Sly had no choice but to laugh at himself. What a ridiculous thought; they would be overjoyed to see him again.

And so, Sly sat there on the living room coffee table for nearly hours, contemplating what to do. His grip on the Cooper cane tightened the moment he heard the apartment door being unlocked. Carmelita had appeared in the doorway, eyeing Sly as she slowly closed and locked the door behind her. Her expression was emotionless, but Sly could tell that she was not happy. The second she saw the cane in his hands was when she finally showed some emotion. Her eyes slightly widened and her mouth barley parted, as if she wanted to say something but just couldn't find the right words.

Sly couldn't take the silence anymore. He let out a sigh, his ears dropping as he continued to stare at the cane in his lap. "Carm...I need to tell you something."

Carmelita didn't say a word. She composed herself and slowly made her way over towards the living room space. The vixen sat on the sofa in front of Sly, who could tell from her breathing that she was trying not to cry or lose her temper.

"I know," she finally said.

Sly's eyes slightly widen in surprise and looked up to finally face her. He was right: Carmelita looked like she was on the edge. "W-What? You do?"

"Yes," Carmelita confirmed, her voice on the edge of cracking. "But I want to hear you say it."

Sly's ears dropped again; he felt sick. "I...I never lost my memories. I've been faking it the whole time." When his eyes looked back at Carmelita, he swore he could die right there. "I've been playing an act so that I can...finally be with you...respectfully."

"'Respectfully'?" Carmelita asked, now starting to sound angry. ""Respectfully'? Sly...what the hell could you possibly mean by that?"

"Carmelita...I have always loved you. I've always wanted to be with you. When I was about to die at the hands of Doctor M and his monster, I swore that if I ever lived, I would straight up tell you how I felt. Then...when you came in to face M, I was...I wasn't thinking. I sacrificed myself to save you, and while you fought, I did some thinking. Society would never allow this - INTERPOL's top inspector with a most wanted thief. Your reputation and job would've been at stake. Yes, I lied, but that was only so you and I could have a normal relationship. That's what I meant by being with you respectfully."

"Sly..." Carmelita's expression was unreadable. "I have been waiting on you hand and foot, helping you cope with life on the other of the law. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep Barkley or anyone else in the force from locking you up? I've shared everything with you; personal things I haven't shared with anyone. I was actually happy with you, and this...this is supposed to be respectful? Sly Cooper, you know nothing about respect."

"Carm..." Sly reached out to touch her hand, but was swatted away.

"No, Sly!" Carmelita yelled as she stood up. She made a mad dash around the couch and towards the kitchen. Sly nervously stood up and watched her. Carmelita ran her hands through her hair before spinning around and glaring at him. "Do you honestly think that any of that mattered to me?! Damnit Sly, I would've taken you even if you were a male prostitute! I could've lived with the fact that you were a thief! I've grown to care about you over the years, and I could've been ready to have something real!"

"But Carm-"

Carmelita growled at him. "You lied! You lied, Sly! The worse part is...Barkley told me that you weren't all the way there. For an entire year, I've been defending you! God, I feel so fucking stupid!"

"Carm, no, you are not stupid!" Sly went over towards the kitchen. He played his cane on the island before gently grabbing both her shoulders. "You're anything but stupid, Carm. You're smart, well mannered, and wonderful in many ways. Which is why I thought that if I changed for you...then I could be better."

Carmelita shook her head. "But I didn't want anything better, Sly. I wanted you. The real you."

There was a long and awkward silence in the room. Sly sighed and let go of Carmelita's shoulders while aimlessly walking around the kitchen. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think of what else to say next. As if God was being merciful, Carmelita spoke up again.

"Who was that woman earlier?"

Sly shut his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "She was...another thief, hired to track me down. I have to return to my gang."

Hearing this, Carmelita scuffed. "Typical..."

"She said I needed to return. Something's...happening."

"What is it?"

Sly shook his head. "I can't say," he finally turned around and faced her.

"Why am I not surprised?" Carmelita gritted her teeth. "You thieves and all your secrets..."

"What? No, Carmelita, it's not like that! I swear, I'm doing this to protect you!"

Carmelita growled. "Oh, bullshit, Sly! You're doing this to protect yourself! You've been lying to me for an entire year! What makes you think I can trust you now?!"

"Because I love you!"

Carmelita let out a heavy sigh as she stared down the raccoon in front of her. "So did I once..."

"C-Carm..." Sly felt taken back with hurt.

"You have ten seconds to get the hell out of here." she warned venomously.

Sly felt distraught. There was truly no way he could apologize for this. With a defeated sigh, the thieving raccoon picked up his cane and started making his way towards the apartment's balcony. Carmelita followed him, her arms crossed and her face sour. Just before Sly left, he looked back at the vixen one more time. He looked like his entire existence was over. Carmelita stood there and watched as Sly left, her eyes following the raccoon's figure until he was out of her sight completely. Then, with a choked sob, she shut the balcony doors and made a dash for her bedroom, collapsing onto the bed before breaking down in tears.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sly felt as if his heart was ripped out of his chest and shredded in front of him. Tears stung his his eyes, nearly blinding his vision as he continued to run. Not too long after leaving, it began to rain. It was almost too perfect of timing, which made the thief more depressed. Sly took the time to look at the card Juliette had given him earlier and made a dash towards the location. It wasn't long until he came face-to-face with the female raccoon, who was standing near an abandoned building with an umbrella. She wore black skin-tight pants with black boots, a dark purple top and black leather jacket. Her hair was now slightly curly, and was in a ponytail.

Juliette caught sight of Sly approaching, her lips curved. "So you're returning? Merveilleuse!"

Sly nodded, sniffling as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah...I am."

"Are you alright?" she frowned.

"Let's just get a move on," Sly urged, wanting to avoid conversation. "We've got work to do."

Juliette nodded. "Of course," she lead Sly towards the alleyway near then and showed him to a black car. "Get in."

Sly did as he was told and laid his head against the cool window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass as Juliette started the car and started their journey. He didn't know what the future would bring or what was threatening him, but whatever it was...Sly vowed to do what he could. He will stop this mysterious threat and return to Carmelita, where he will do everything in his power to make things right.

He loved her, and he wasn't going to let this go. Not now, not ever.

Carmelita woke up to her phone ringing loudly the next morning. She looked over at the clock and groaned before getting up. Once she had reached the living room, Carmelita picked up the ringing device and held it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hello, is this Carmelita Fox?"

"This is," Carmelita really didn't feel like talking to anyone after last night and wanted to make this phone call quick. "Who is this?"

"Hello Carmelita, this is Doctor Snife. I'm just calling to give you your test results from the other day."

Carmelita blinked. "Oh, yes...thank you."

"You're welcome," the woman on the other end replied. "Everything looks good, Miss Fox. You seem to be in perfect health."

Carmelita seemed confused. "What? Then why was I getting sick on-and-off again?"

A cheerful hum was heard on the other end. "That's because you are pregnant."

Carmelita went numb with shock. Pregnant? She looked down at herself and placed a hand over her stomach. Was she really? Mixed emotions flooded the vixen as she began to take this all in.

"Hello?" Doctor Snife's voice snapped Carmelita out of her thoughts. "Miss Fox, are you there?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, sorry. I'm just...trying to process this."

"You're alright," Doctor Snife sounded understanding. "Would you like to schedule a follow-up appointment?"

"N-No. No thank you. Not right now."

"Okay then," the doctor cleared her throat. "Have a good rest of your day, Miss Fox. And congratulations! Just give me a call whenever you want to schedule a follow-up, okay?"

Carmelita nodded. "I will, thank you. Have a good rest of your day, Doctor."

And with that, Carmelita hung up her phone. She didn't know how to feel. Carmelita always wanted to be a mother, but not like this. It pained the vixen when she touched her stomach once more. Hot tears threatened to escape, knowing exactly what to do. Carmelita could not be a single mother, nonetheless carrying a master thief's baby. What would her parents think? Hell, what would her boss and coworkers think? Carmelita was not prepared for any of this, and it scared her. She needed some advice.

Carmelita called her mother after finally mustering up the courage and told her everything that has happened. Her mother didn't seem disappointed in her, which helped Carmelita a lot. She sat there on the couch for what seemed like ages, talking with her mother on what to do. The more Carmelita talked with her, the more she started to feel better about herself. She finally hung up the phone and rubbed her stomach, a sad smile appearing on her face.

"I promise," she whispered. "I promise that you won't be alone. I will love you for the rest of my life."

And this concludes chapter one to this revision! I have a more structured format for this reboot, and will try to have updates out on a reasonable schedule. I am not sure when the second chapter will be out, exactly. I start school again in about a week, so things may start getting slow for me.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to giving you guys more in the future!

Until next time,

~Nixter97~