Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Sly Cooper or any characters or any stuff associated with this game. All that belongs to Sucker Punch and Sony, after all, I am just a mere fangirl writing a fanfic! Note: I don't own ANY copyrighted content except the fictional characters I made up for this (namely, the villains and other nameless folks).
Other note: I don't own Iron and Silkeither...The title belongs to Mark Salzman!
(Chapter Ten: Now The Sun Will Shine)
Sly gritted his teeth as he clutched his cane tightly and glared at the infamous Luke Black. The raccoon knew that he would be fallible if he made even the slightest misstep. He would let everyone down, especially himself. He had been able to rebuild his inner persona since he had lost his story and now, he couldn't let it crumble.
"Carmelita, I'll distract him while you run around behind him and shoot him down," Sly ordered softly. The cop quickly nodded as the thief turned his attention towards Luke.
"Knave. You're the one who caused me all this pain," Sly started, using very harsh, clipping tones. "You're the one who got me into this trouble."
"So what if I am? It was about time the famous Sly Cooper had his downfall. He can't always win, can he?" Luke taunted. "The thief with humble beginnings. The low down orphan...Technically, you are an orphan since your mother abandoned you, eh?" The raccoon's eyesight blurred for a moment as he wiped his eyes.
"Don't talk about Teresa that way!"
"Aw, did I hit a soft spot? So you really do love her, even after all she's done to you. Remember your father's attempted suicide?" There was a long pause. "You know, with that overdose of sleeping pills and that knife nearby, just incase." There was another long pause. "No, of course not, you were bed if I remember correctly...and of course he didn't succeed, because you woke up and invaded his privacy after you heard him yelp when he first sliced himself."
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?"
"Let's just say that I did a little investigation after you were sent off to Happy Camper's that long time ago. I got to read into his thoughts after finding that diary of his. After he described Clockwerk in that thing, I was determined to find that power—THAT WEAPON—and take it for myself. And then...just as I was about to destroy it, I found out about YOU, so naturally, you were my next target. The barrier standing in my way... and what an interesting barrier you are..."
Sly checked behind the fiend and found that Carmelita was having a bit of difficulty getting behind Luke, as he had kept moving around and changing position and view.
"...Cooper, you have no idea how fun it was to manipulate you. A lost stumbling fool who was once a grand master of heists was brought down to nothingness. And this former master, he was not a cop, not a thief, not a citizen. Just a distant shadow hiding in the corner, crying for help, yet no matter how loud he cried, everyone else would just ignore him. That, Cooper, is interesting."
Luke stepped forward about three paces, giving Carmelita a chance to sneak around him. Sly kept firm as he gulped and waited for more of this pompous speech. It was quite depressing to hear this from his current nemesis, but it was true. The raccoon could not help but feel guilty.
"I—" the thief started.
"That Teresa...your mother is quite beautiful, Sly, with that charming smile and those sparkling eyes... That was another thing that made this whole scheme so entertaining, yet so easy. Her past consumed her, weakening her and making her plan a meeting between me and the boss of the former Bulls Eye Gang. Thus another piece of my plan was laid down."
"And what would that be?"
"I pretended to ally myself with the Bulls Eye Gang and 'help' them claim the Clockwerk parts for themselves. At the opportune moment, I sent the group after you, making it easier for me within the chaos to kill off the other gang members...apparently, since the group found Teresa, my plan did get a little messed up there, but...so far, it's all worked out."
Carmelita snuck up behind Luke and placed her finger over the trigger of her shock pistol...
(Call for help!)
Cody quickly pulled the van door open and caught the attention of Gertrude and Bentley. Murray hopped inside the van, panicking and waving his arms about as he took his seat at the driver's wheel. This caught the turtle's attention as he stopped examining a radar.
"Huh? You guys are back so soon? According to my calculations, this plan should've taken you at least twenty minutes longer and—MADAM? Why is MADAM with you guys? Get her out of here!" Bentley yelled.
Teresa's ears pressed down as she stared down at the pavement. She tried hard not to glare at Bentley, but she couldn't help but narrow her eyes. Cody let out a soft hiss at Bentley as he clutched Madam's paw, massaging her palm with his thumb as he attempted to calm her down.
"She's on our side," the calico pointed out in annoyance as he helped the raccoon up into the van.
"Where's Sly and Carmelita?" Gertrude asked before Bentley could snap back at Cody with some long speech.
"Carmelita had to stay behind with Sly to stop that doctor guy..." the hippo in the driver's seat trailed off. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. Murray was trying to remain focused and not go crazy.
"Speaking of which...Murray, call the police and tell them about Luke and what he's done. Don't forget to tell them the location too. That should be about it for information," Cody ordered. Murray obeyed as he picked up the phone that was attached to the radars and dialed 9-1-1.
"What a motley crew you have here," Teresa finally said after being silent for so long.
The mother glanced up at Cody with a gentle smile on her face. The calico looked back at her and met her gaze. His emerald green orbs comforted her, making her feel much safer than she had ever felt in a long time...since the last time she had been in Christopher's arms.
"You're looking much happier, Teresa," Cody commented.
His nose twitched as there was silence between them. The two of them just stood there quietly, enjoying a moment of peace. Cody held the raccoon's paw firmly and was standing close to her, shielding her from Bentley's disdaining glares.
"Are you feelings for Christopher resolved yet?" Madam opened her mouth to answer, but paused for a moment. This was quite a difficult question, but she had an idea.
"I'm feeling better about it. I know, somewhere deep in my heart, Christopher will always be there, but now, there's room for another man. One who can stay by my side and be able to truly love me."
"You're saying he didn't love you?"
"No, it's that sometimes he was gone on heists a lot. Once in a while, he would be gone for weeks on end organizing heists with his friends. It drove me crazy, but somehow, I still loved him and I stayed as long as I could."
"I can imagine that since you were the wife of one of the greatest master thieves. And...that man was very lucky to have a wife like you for the time you stayed, Teresa." Madam cocked an eyebrow as she pulled a stray hair out of her face.
"Lucky, eh?"
"Yes, very lucky!" Cody nodded enthusiastically, but suddenly slowed down, trapped in the gaze of Teresa's artic jewels. His knees suddenly felt weak and his tail twitched nervously.
"Anything wrong?" Teresa felt a tingle deep down in the pit of her stomach. She grabbed Cody's other paw and struggled to remain standing. The skin under her fur grew warm and a cocky grin spread across her face.
"Nothing wrong here..."
The calico found himself leaning in, unaware of everything else going on around him. His tail had stopped twitching and was now swaying calmly, suiting his mood. His eyes gradually closed and he felt something soft against his lips. Calm spread through his blood as he opened his eyes.
There was Teresa, gently kissing him and through the window, he could see the rain lightening up to a sprinkle. The two of them held on to each other tightly, with no desire to let go. It almost seemed like a dream.
"Hey, Bryan, stop making out with your girlfriend for a minute and help me over here!" Gertrude exclaimed, cutting the kiss off. The calico perked up as he walked over to her position over radar.
Teresa couldn't help but feel dumbstruck. She ran a finger over her lips and stared blankly at where the calico just was.
(A call received...)
"Wait, let me get this straight, Murray? You know where THAT notorious criminal Luke Black is? ...He just killed off two members of the Bulls Eye Trio slash Gang slash STOP CHANGING THE DAMN TITLE! ...You've found Sly Cooper and Detective Carmelita Fox. That's great! Now exactly where are you?" the operator asked as she twirled the telephone cord around her finger.
The caller sounded rather irritated with her strong, choppy French accent. He had to ask her to repeat questions at least five times before he understood them.
"So it's near the headquarters in the abandoned port. No wonder they were able to keep hiding for so long. Don't worry, Monsieur Murray, we'll send people over there immediately!"
With that, the operator hung up and smirked.
"Finally we get some action in this dump. Time to go to report to chief! ...Oh gee, I hope nobody leaks to the news media about this..."
(We miss you, Danny!)
Chandler, Mike and Charlotte stared out the cracked window during arts and crafts time, absentmindedly drawing and watching the rain outside. It had been about three days since Mr. Smith had left. Nobody ever thought that anyone would really miss him since they had only known him for about a day or two, but they did. The joey was especially taking it hard. Daniel was the first man he had ever been able to make a connection with ever since his parents had rejected him out of his first home.
There on the papers of the five through seven year olds, were various drawings all relating to either the story Daniel had started, or just of Daniel himself. This really seemed to show how much they really missed him, because the bat watching them sneered at the drawings.
"You brats are so pathetic. Don't you realize that chum isn't coming back?" the bat scoffed as he picked up the drawings of the trio. "You need to stop thinking about him." He ripped up all the papers into tiny shreds and threw them up into the air. Like feathers, they fell slowly, gradually carpeting the linoleum floor. "Now draw something else!"
The five through seven year olds glared at the bat as he left towards another station. Charlotte was forcing herself to choke back tears, being the sensitive kitten she was.
"Why don't we draw a joint picture and hide it from the geezer," she sniffed. Charlotte wiped her blue eyes as she glanced at Mike and Chandler.
"Good idea. We can give it to Danny when he gets back!" Mike whispered.
Chandler quickly nodded in agreement as he pulled out a piece of white paper from a stack in the middle of their table. The three of them were beaming, ignoring the other five through seven year olds, as they began their masterpiece. The three of them were carefully hunched over it so the bat couldn't see it.
The stiff lines they formed with the materials they had (which consisted of nothing but crayons) gradually revealed the image. The colors clashed and collided against the white backdrop. Sometimes the lines would be jagged wherever fingers, elbows or shadows interfered with the creative process.
Finally, after taking so long, they were finished. It was spelled out in front of them: Daniel was hanging out in the sandbox with Chandler, Charlotte and Mike. In the background on top of a telephone pole was the shadow of Sly Cooper, watching the four in the sandbox. There was just one thing missing...
"You wanna do the honors, Chan?" the siamese kitten asked.
Chandler took a blue crayon from Charlotte's paw and wrote on the picture in a blank spot:
We miss you, Danny!
The trio grinned at their picture as they quickly folded it up.
Suddenly, another adult came charging in. She was panting and her hair was astray. Her mangy fur was ruffled and his clothes wrinkled. The bat turned his sights towards her direction and cocked an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" the geezer asked.
"S-Sly Cooper's been spotted," the woman replied. "They just found him in a port in Le Havre!"
"Him? What did he have to say?"
The trio began looking at each other excitedly, hoping this was a sign of Danny.
"...Nothing. He was guarded by a police officer."
(Iron and Silk)
The doctor gazed at his ex-patient. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a malevolent smirk. His height loomed over Sly in an almost surreal way. The raccoon could not help but be afraid.
"Cooper...you are a pathetic fool. You may be trying to appear strong, but I bet somewhere in that mind of yours, lies more pain, anguish and sadness than anyone could know. Admit it—you're a nothing."
"NO!"
"A nothing left in the corner. A nothing who can't speak, beg or cry. All the nothingness will consume you. You'll eventually become just a mere shell!"
"N-no way, IT'S NOT TRUE..."
"It happens even to the best of us, Cooper. That is when we fade away. That—" Before Luke could ramble on, he was tapped on the shoulder. The siberian tiger swerved around and glared at Inspector Fox.
"Excuse me, SIR, but I think he deserves a second opinion." Carmelita hissed. Her brown eyes were flashing with hatred and anger towards the fiend. Her fists were shaking as if she was tempted to just punch him.
Carmelita was angry at what the doctor did to everyone. She was mad at him for taking the lives of the two Bulls Eye members, no matter what dastardly crimes they may have committed. She was made at him for hurting Teresa and for all the other infamous acts he may have pulled off. Most of all, Carmelita was angered because of what he did to Sly. The way he manipulated the raccoon's inner emotions and fragile sanity was just cruel.
The vixen pulled the trigger on her shock pistol and watched as the bullet hit the doctor in the head. Luke's eyes widened as he felt the extra punch of the pistol smite him. He trembled for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, but fainted before he could say another word.
"Black Plague."
Carmelita spat in Luke's face and handcuffed him in a click. She felt a gust of satisfaction make its way towards her mouth, which made her lips contort into a smirk. As she put away her shock pistol, she glanced over at Sly, who glared down at the doctor. He was about to run, but then turned towards Carmelita. He looked rather relieved and calm, something that was reassuring to the cop.
"Thank you...Carmelita," Sly said quietly. He turned away and was about to escape once more, but the red fox grabbed his shoulder.
"You lucky raccoon, look at how much you've been through. I'm surprised you haven't cracked under all of this pressure!" The officer paused for a moment, as if she was thinking. "Let me reword that. You're one tough raccoon. I mean, you saw your father die, making it up to you to keep your family's...legacy alive and now this mess. You've been through so much."
"Carmelita...um..." Sly turned around and looked up into the vixen's brown eyes. "I want to...give you something." Carmelita smiled playfully as she took her hand of Sly's shoulder.
"And what would that be?" Carmelita tried to keep her distance from Sly, not wanting for this to turn into a serious affair; however she was not having much luck.
The two of them drowned in the other's brown eyes, trying not to become tense at such a peaceful moment. Sly was motionless for a short while, his ring tail wagging slowly, but then he leaned in towards Carmelita. He could hear her exhaling quietly and her heart beating faster and faster. The thief ignored the sound of light rain outside and ran his hand through the cop's raven locks.
"Cooper, st—"
Sly cut her off as he gently pressed his lips against hers. Carmelita relaxed as the raccoon stroked her hair, wrapping her arms around the thief. She kept him close, protecting him from eyes above. Sly's amber eyes were silently serenading to her as he slowly pulled away, shrugging off Carmelita's arms. He wiped his mouth and felt heat rising in his skin. He couldn't believe he just did that.
Carmelita couldn't really believe he had just done that--AGAIN. Yet her fiery and strong disposition faded away for a few brief moments as she held Sly and returned his gift. His slick, smooth style was getting to her, making her show her true emotions. She just wished she could show it more often. She wished she wouldn't be so stubborn and uptight...that's what happened to her after her years of working at Interpol thus far.
There they stood together, cherishing the moment just when the rain finally cleared...Iron and Silk...
The doors behind Sly suddenly opened with a crash. He and Carmelita quickly let go as a squad of cops barged in and surrounded the body of the unconscious Luke Black. A clique of reporters quickly followed. Lights rapidly blinked from the cameras and a cameraman kept the film on Sly and Carmelita.
"Mr. Cooper, where have you been for the last couple of weeks?" one news reporter demanded as she jabbed her microphone right in the raccoon's face.
"Did you hide, thinking everyone would forget about you?"
"Some girls have wondered what kind of women you like. What kind do you like, Mr. Cooper? You know, for Notorious Criminal Monthly?"
"Leave him alone, stalkers. He can't speak right now!" Carmelita snapped as she hid Sly's face and exited the storage room with him.
The vixen quickly let go of the raccoon and saw how wide-eyed he was. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead and glittered in his fur. He was shaking and his tail was twitching as he heaved a sigh.
Carmelita and Sly stared at each other for a few quiet moments, calming themselves down. This had definitely been a nerve-wracking experience and it was one they would never forget.
"...Come on, Sly...let's get out of here before they show up again..." Carmelita suggested as she grabbed Sly's paw.
The two of them had a short walk on their way back to the Cooper van. Sly could not help but feel he was about to fly. He was right there next to his favorite officer, holding hands. He had just shared one of the most exhilarating feelings with Carmelita. He still felt her red lips touching his and the warmth of being in her arms engulfed him. Best of all, Sly felt Carmelita's feeling for him shine through those few moments ago. She really did return his love, no matter how much she hid her real emotions. Now he really knew the truth...
"Sly! You're OKAY!"
Sly looked up and saw Madam smiling.
"Mada—Mom?"
"Sly..." Teresa pulled him into a bear hug and whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry for everything I've done. To you, to everyone else...to your father..." The mother sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Sly, if I could..." She paused as she wiped her eyes. "I would go change the past..."
"You might not be able to change the past...but you can make up for it."
The two of them had a heart to heart moment as they sent reassuring smiles towards each other. They knew things were going to be much better between the two of them from now on...
After a bunch of greetings and brief reunions, the whole group headed towards Lauderville, driving off into the sunset in the Cooper van...
(Looking back on it...)
Here I am...I'm back on my feet. The gang and I have just arrived near our rendezvous point for our first REAL heist. It has been two years since I first pushed Clockwerk back in the shadows. Now, he's in danger of coming back and I have to stop him for good before anything horrible happens...
So much has happened within the last two years. It's amazing what can be accomplished in such a small amount of time. And that whole incident with my memory loss...it was like it happened just yesterday.
Cody and Teresa have been courting each other regularly, from what I've heard from Gertrude. She says they really make the perfect couple, although I might have to see it for myself before I believe it. It is still kind of creepy having my MOTHER courting CODY...But that's life.
Speaking of Gertrude and Cody, the two of them have really changed the orphanage ever since my mother stepped down from the role of headmistress. Now Cody is the headmaster, and together with Gertrude, they made enough money to ameliorate the entire orphanage and get it looking like it when I was young. They also fired all of the old workers and hired much kinder ones. When I went back, it was exactly like returning to an old home, something I never felt with Teresa up in the position of headmistress.
I've been able to talk to my mother when it's possible. She is doing much better now. I think she's really happy for once in her life. I'm sure she still misses father, but she handles it much more confidently now...When I told her I might not see her for a long time though, she looked heartbroken...I hope it won't be too long after this heist that I can see her once more.
As for Carmelita, I feel kind of sorry for her. She got yelled at even though she was the one who helped the police arrest Luke Black, who is now in prison. Bentley was able to hack into the mainframe of Interpol and he found out Carmelita has a new partner to work with: Constable Neyla. She actually seems like quite an interesting character, but I'm going to be cautious...who knows what she can do?
I've bumped into Carmelita quite a few times, but I've never been able to just corner her. She's even more stubborn than ever. She's trying to cover everything up. It's almost as if nothing had ever happened between us. Heck, we've never told anyone about what happened and perhaps it may be better if we don't. It would ruin both of our reputations.
I can't help but look at the picture Chandler, Mike and Charlotte gave to me though. As soon as they saw me enter the room where we reunited right after Luke's arrest, they handed me a drawing they did. I never realized how much they had missed me until I saw it...Now I always keep it in my red pouch. It's kind of like a good luck charm for thefts...
"Breaker Alpha Foxtrot, this is the Wizard. Do you copy, Sitting Duck?"
Wish me luck, because it starts now...
(AUTHORESS NOTES)
Hello, hello! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint at all (and I apologize for possible typos that I may have typed by accident). I really worked hard on it for you folks, so...Thanks for reading everyone! It was a pleasure to write for such awesome, great, supportive readers like you.
Merci! Arigato! Gracias! Thank you everyone!
Shady Fetish