At last, the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed reading it, since I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks for the reviews and input, and see you around the anime section.
As usual, Lupin is not mine. Hope he didn't mind going through all that. Oh well, too late now...Epilogue: Job Interrupted
Zenigata stormed through the Atlanta Museum of Artifacts. The place was in chaos, covered in police, news reporters, and angry museum workers. The head curator was wringing his hands, bemoaning the surprise visit.
As he eyed the place where several precious stones and priceless artifacts had once sat, he grimly noted that the cases were untouched. No chips, no fingerprints. No alarms had been set off.
A rookie cop dashed up to Zenigata. "Inspector, we think you need to see this." He lead Zenigata to the spot a fine, perfect Ming vase had stood. In its place was a note, written in a familiar hand...
"Dear Pops: You didn't think we really forgot about this place, did you? I may be fashionably late, but I always keep appointments in the end. See you around, Lupin III. P.S: Jigen and Goemon send their love. P.P.S: Not really."
Zenigata's eyes bulged dangerously. Seconds later, a howl wracked the center of the city.
"LUUUUUUUUUPIIIIIIIIN!!!!"
Lupin, glad to be back at the wheel of his favorite Mercedes, sneezed once. "Gee, someone must be talking about me," he said, smiling mischievously and patting the back of the car. The trunk was loaded to the brim with the artifacts from their belated theft.
"It's nice to get back to normal," Jigen noted. Goemon, perched in his usual spot, grunted in agreement.
"Well, if you two didn't have to be so whiny, we wouldn't have had to go through all that. Hope you learned a lesson."
"Yeah, you're a damn idiot." Jigen snickered. "After all, you were stupid enough to let us try in the first place."
Lupin waved his hands. "Okay, okay. I still want to know where you got that trebuchet from. Anyway," he added. "I'm going to spin by the post office on our way home. We need to send one of these lovely spoils as a wedding present."
"A what?" Goemon said confused. Lupin handed Goemon a small envelope, containing an invitation. After reading over it twice, Goemon said slowly. "Jed and Agent Hanes?"
"What?" Jigen said, spitting his cigarette out. "Give me that!" He snatched the card away from Goemon. "No way! Why those two?"
"Well, Agent Hanes...er, Amy, couldn't very well go back to the military after helping us betray her agency, could she? So, I sent her over to take shelter with Jed until she could get back on her feet. Apparently, one thing lead to another, and...well, you can figure out the rest."
"How does General Waker feel about that?" Goemon asked as Jigen shook his head in confusion. "I'm sure his department isn't please with this turn of events.
"He retired, didn't you hear?" Lupin said, easing the Mercedes around a curve. "I'm sure it wasn't voluntary, but it's probably a relief after all that trouble. It's a miracle he's not in Levinworth, truth be told, but I guess a flawless military career accounts for something nowadays."
Goemon nodded. Jigen snorted as he finished reading and handed the card back to Lupin. "You didn't RSVP us, did you?"
"Why? Do you cry at weddings?" Lupin teased.
"No, but my snoring has been the bane of many a ceremony," Jigen said proudly.
"That's not the only thing it's been a bane of," Goemon said quietly.
"What was that?" Jigen said, turning to Goemon.
"What of Peters?" Goemon said quickly, deciding to change the subject.
"A permanent home in whatever the nuthouse is for ex-intelligence agents. Of course, I think Peters was probably damaged goods before this whole encounter."
"You think?" Jigen said. "Didn't take me long to figure out..."
"Anyway," Lupin noted cheerfully, "all's well that ends well. Eshe got home, the military got its just desserts, and we picked up our trinkets in the end."
"Did you say our trinkets, Lupin dear?" a voice called from beside the car. Fujiko had pulled up alongside them on a brand-new motorcycle.
"He meant our trinkets," Jigen grumbled, pointing to himself, Lupin, and Goemon.
"But you ruined my previous job. Shouldn't I get a little something?"
"Isn't the warm fuzzy feeling in your heart enough?" Goemon asked bitterly.
Lupin had remained silent. "Well, okay. Pull your bike over a little closer and I'll give you something."
Goemon shook his head in amazement while Jigen growled and angrily slumped in his seat. "She does it again," he murmured as Fujiko leaned in eagerly.
Lupin leapt out of his seat, planted a big kiss on Fujiko, and landed as neatly as if he had never left it. The car hadn't even swerved. "There you go, Fuji-cakes. More precious than gold, so treasure it always. Catch you later!" With that, he floored the accelerator, nearly blasting Goemon off of his perch on the back. The samurai managed to grab a hold as the Mercedes tore off down the road.
"That wasn't what I meant!" Fujiko yelled, and raced behind him in pursuit.
"Ah," Jigen noted dully. "Everything finally back to normal." He settled in, ready for a long ride and their next job, with a screeching Fujiko in hot pursuit.