A Soul Shattered Chapter 24: One Chance, One Battle, a sly cooper fanfic

Chapter 23

One Chance-One Battle

Sadie looked in awe as the light finally disappeared, and she looked over Carmelita. She looked like an angel dressed in robes that were as white as snow, and wings to match. Carmelita turned, looking at her self in confusion, "Sadie, what is going on?"

Blain grunted, sweat beginning to form on his brow, "The forces of nature, the magic of time, the chaos of the universe, and the magic of the three worlds have come together. I created a link between your soul and Neyla's, her clock of time supporting her own life and yours."

Carmelita turned, a little surprised to see how tired Blain looked, "Still, why am I here."

Blain's eyes slowly rose, locking on the portal in front of him, "Inside the Shadow Dimension Sly, Rachel, Bentley, and Murray have fallen to a dark mist. Mz. Ruby has become a Shadow Wraith, a being of pure evil that will steal the soles of everyone in the world if given the chance. You must go in there, and disperse the mist. Then, with the help of Sly and the others you must get your Clock of Time away from Mz. Ruby. After that, you will be able to summon a single lightning bolt. That bolt is a gift from heaven, and will stop Mz. Ruby. Still, you only have one. You must strike Mz. Ruby with it, otherwise she will be unstoppable."

Carmelita nodded her head, quickly turning. On instinct, the wings on her back spread out, and before Carmelita knew what happened she took off from the ground. She flew through the portal, and began to race across the sky where she could see Mz. Ruby towering over the treetops. Blain smiled, watching as Carmelita went to fight before he cringed in pain.

Blain looked back up at Neyla, smiling as she slept peacefully. She would come out of the spell well rested. He, however, would not be so lucky. He had cast a ritual meant to counteract the Gunthorang Frastas, the Ritual of the Apocalypse. His ritual, the summoning of heavens power, was to make someone an angel. Then, they would use the power given to them by the world, heaven, and the underworld to fight some great evil. Unfortunately, it put great strain on the body of the spell caster. Blain sighed, the pain all over his body slowly becoming stronger. He gave himself half an hour, tops, before his body would become so badly damaged that the second the spell ended he would die.

In the Shadow Dimension, Murray and Bentley had almost completely succumbed to the black mist, lying on the ground as if they were asleep. Rachel and Sly were both standing, but Rachel was swaying back and forth while Sly had dropped down to one knee. Sly looked over at his friends, and noticed a thin white mist beginning to come off their bodies. It was sifting through the black, moving towards Mz. Ruby. Was the mist their souls, Sly couldn't tell? His own vision was blurring, and he doubted he would be awake much longer.

Sly shook his head, trying to clear his head. No, he wouldn't let it end. He was Sly Cooper, a master thief that came from a long line of thieves. He had been the Cooper who took down the fiendish five, and earned his birth right, the Thievius Raccoonus. He had bested Clockwerk and Clock-La, and he had knocked the stuffing out of Mz. Ruby once before. He could do it again, couldn't he?

Sly was about to black out when he saw a large mass of white land on the ground in front of him. The black mist around him, Bentley, Murray, and Rachel quickly disappeared, and the four of them began to regain consciousness. Sly shook his head, his vision clearing as he looked at what stood before him. Was it an angel? Sly then saw the person's head, and recognized the long, deep blue, pony tail that reached down past her waist.

Sly stood up, shacking his head as he said, "Well, I always thought you were an angel."

Carmelita looked back, a serious look on her face, "Cut the flirty Chit-Chat Cooper, we have got work to do." Carmelita then smiled softly, turning her head forward, "Though, I would like to hear some of that chit-chat later, if you have time."

Sly smiled, walking up beside Carmelita, "I think I got a piece of dirt in my ear. Did I just hear you correctly?"

Carmelita nodded her head, and Sly just shook his, "Well, I suppose I could pencil you in to my schedule, but we'll get the details later. Right now, can I ask why you look like you should be in some heavenly chore."

Rachel came up behind Sly and Carmelita, a worried tone in her voice, "Blain did this, didn't he."

Carmelita turned, nodding her head, "Yes."

Rachel cursed under her breath, and then look up at the towering Mz. Ruby, "Did he tell you anything."

"Yes. He said that we need to get my Clock of Time away from Mz. Ruby, and then I'll have one chance to strike her with some lightning bolt."

Rachel nodded her head, her voice falling low as she whispered to herself, "That sounds about right, if I know the spell, but we must hurry." Rachel then looked back in the direction of the portal, and prayed that Blain would be alive when she got back. Still, she also knew that what Blain did was their only option, it had to be done.

Mz. Ruby looked down at Carmelita, her blood red eyes flashing with anger as she called out, "Who is this little white firefly that come to stop my voodoo magic."

Carmelita growled, her hand clenching into a fist as she said, "It's your worse nightmare you pile of pig vomit." Carmelita then looked back at Sly, who nodded his head in reassurance. Carmelita nodded her head in return, and then took flight. Sly watched Carmelita take flight for a few minutes before turning to Murray and Bentley, "All right you guys, its time we got what we came for." Sly quickly to hand out instructions. Thinking on the fly, what the master thief loved about his work.

A few minutes later everyone began to do their work. Sly whistled up at Carmelita, waving his hands. Carmelita swooped down, landing beside Sly as Rachel and Murray ran up to Mz. Ruby. Rachel made several symbols with her hands before slapping them down on the ground. The ground shook for a second before several rocks began to rise up and float above the dirt. Murray grabbed a rock, rearing back before throwing it up with great force. The rock smacked Mz. Ruby in the hand, and the Murray continued the barrage as Mz. Ruby tried to cover her face.

In the distance, while Rachel and Murray distracted Mz. Ruby, Bentley was loading a special device into his crossbow. With a gentle click the medieval weapon was ready, and Bentley began to take aim. Bentley squinted his eyes, locking on a small glint of gold against Mz. Ruby's neck. He waited, and at just the right moment the crossbow released its ammunition. The small round device flew through the air, and with aid of special air jets struck and latched onto Carmelita's clock of time.

Mz. Ruby finally had enough of being pelted with rocks, and reached out her great, black, grizzly handed to smack Murray and Rachel away. Rachel and Murray escaped in time, looking over at Bentley who gave them a simple nod. Murray gave Bentley a thumbs up, turning as he began to run around to Mz. Ruby's back side.

Up in the air, Carmelita was carrying Sly by his armpits. Sly looked up at Carmelita, flashing his most charming and smile as he said, "You ready to fry this crocodile."

Carmelita nodded her head, flying around the back side of Mz. Ruby's head before letting go of Sly. Sly fell, bringing his cane high above his head as he waited for just the right moment. Then, he slashed down and used his family heirloom to break the clasp of the metal chain that held Carmelita's clock of time around Mz. Ruby's neck. The chain began to slip, and Bentley quickly pressed a button on his crossbow. The small device that he had launched quickly hummed to life, jets of air coming out as it pulled the clock of time away from Mz. Ruby.

Sly continued to fall, but never hit the ground. With a gentle oomph he landed in Murray's outstretched arms, the brawn of the gang smiling as he said, "No fears citizen, the Murray is here."

Sly nodded, getting down from Murray's arms as he waved at Carmelita. Carmelita nodded her head in return, a smile blossoming on her face as she flew in front of Mz. Ruby. She felt a strange tingling in her hands, and soon little jolts of static electricity began to jump between her fingers.

Sly, Bentley, Rachel, and Murray watched in anticipation as a long, spear like, bolt of lightning formed in Carmelita's hands. Carmelita reared back, taking aim before she said, "This is for the night at the warehouse." Carmelita then lunged forward, and the bolt of lightning flew through the air. Mz. Ruby saw the bolt coming, and her eyes narrowed. It was aimed right at her chest, and she had not time to dodge it. On a last instinct Mz. Ruby took both of her hands, digging into her chest before pulling it apart. The bolt flew through the hole, and disappeared in the distance.

Carmelita, Sly, and the others were all in shock. She had missed, and that was her only chance. Back in the real world, Blain's eyes had widened to the size of golf balls. He then bit his lower lip, what did they do now. An idea then popped into Blain's idea. It might have been divine inspiration or something else, but it was there last hope.

Blain quickly began to cast a third spell, putting a very heavy strain on his body. Performing a temporary soul joining and the ritual of Arch Angles was bad enough, but adding a third could be considered suicide. Still, what choice did he have. Around Blain several flashes of light began to erupt as mystical swords began to appear. Oathkeeper, Oblivion, Half-Breed, Crossroads, and several other legendary swords began to appear.

The swords began to glow, each representing a force of nature. Blain began to chant, forcing just a bit more of his magic out, the last of his strength, and the legendary weapons began to circle around him at a very high speed. Blain sighed, "Forging of power, strength in numbers, and the power of one. Let the weapons of legend become the fabled weapon."

In a flash of light, Blain and the swords were gone. Sadie looked around, wondering what had happened when a thunder crack filled the air. From a single cloud in the sky a bolt of lighting lunged down, cutting through the air before lunging into the portal. The lightning arched back and forth, carving its line in the air. The bolt finally reached its destination, striking Carmelita in the back. Then, the bolt flowed through her and raced down towards the ground. Before anyone could react, the bolt hit Sly and a great white flash filled the air.

The next thing Sly knew, he was floating in the air beside Carmelita. He felt lighter then air, and when he looked down he saw he was dressed in white robes. Sly glanced at his back, and could only smile as he saw a pair of pure white dove wings. Carmelita looked over at Sly, smiling, "Well, aren't you Mr. Pretty-Pretty."

Sly rubbed the back of his head, but stopped when he suddenly felt a weight in his hand. He looked down, and saw a sword had appeared where his cane had been. It was pure white, and felt warm to the touch, as if alive. Carmelita also had a sword, and it was exactly like Sly's. They each looked at the sword, wondering what they should do until Sly heard something, like a voice on the wind, "When lighting fails, let the duty fall to steel."

Sly looked down at the sword, his face gaining a serious tone to it as he tightened his grip. He motioned towards Carmelita, and then the pair began to fly at Mz. Ruby. The voodoo priestess swatted at them like flies, but she wasn't able to hit them. The moment came, and Sly got in close to Mz. Ruby's heart and dug his sword into her flesh. Mz. Ruby screamed in pain as the sword broke into dust, and began to flow into her body. Carmelita soon followed, forcing her sword into Mz. Ruby's neck where it quickly disappeared.

Mz. Ruby howled in pain, vapor coming off her body as she returned to normal. Sly and Carmelita landed on the ground in front of the Cajun crocodile. Mz. Ruby looked up at the two people she hated most in the world, her eyes locking onto them with a terrible glare. Then, all of the sudden, Mz. Ruby grabbed her chest. She coughed a few time, and then fell over as still as a stone. Rachel, Bentley, and Murray walked up as Rachel said, "A body without a soul is nothing but a vegetable or a corpse. Come, its time we left this god-forsaken place."

Sly nodded his head, not noticing the white robes slowly disappearing form his body as he changed back to normal. Sly, however, quickly snapped his fingers as he remembered something. He turned to Bentley and asked, "Bentley, can I see that clock."

Bentley nodded his head, pulling out Carmelita's clock of time. Sly took it from his friend, giving Bentley a wink before turning to Carmelita. Bentley just rolled his eyes, it was never a good thing when Sly winked. Sly ignored Bentley's quiet grumbling, and said, "Here, I believe this is yours."

Carmelita looked down at the small pocket watched, gently reaching out before touching it with the tip of her finger. Suddenly, the clock broke into thousands of tiny pieces and began to flow into Carmelita's body. Rachel smiled, "A soul completed quickly seeks out its body."

Sly bowed a bit, taking Carmelita's hand in his before giving it a gentle kiss, "We'll come visit you in the hospital as soon as we get back."

Carmelita smiled, leaning over to Sly before planting a kiss on his cheek, "I'll be waiting for you ringtail."

With that, Carmelita slowly disappeared and turned into a sphere of light that quickly flew towards the entrance to the dark dimension. Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Rachel moved out of the dark dimension a few minutes later. Waiting to greet them was Sadie and Neyla. Neyla physically looked as if she had aged a few years since the last time Sly had seen her.

Sadie slithered forward, a very thankful tone in her voice, "Thank heaven, your all safe."

Sly nodded his head, but looked around as he asked, "Where is Blain?"

Sadie fell silent, and looked back at where the panther mystic had once been sitting, "He just disappeared. We don't really know what happened to him."

Sly stared at the spot where Blain had once sat, and began to wonder what had happened to Blain. It was because of him Sly had been able to save Carmelita. He had given Sly that chance. The only question, what else had Blain given up so Sly and Carmelita could defeat Mz. Ruby.

The gang piled into the team van a few minutes later, their destination Paris, France. The flight was spent in silence. Sly was anxious to see Carmelita again, but still a little worried about Blain. Bentley was just happy to have the whole business over with and Murray was, well, acting like Murray. Sadie had said good-bye to the gang, catching a flight back to Texas. Neyla sat in silence, just happy she had been given a second chance with the Cooper Gang. Rachel, however, had a very solemn, her eyes fixed on the clouds outside her window as if searching for something.

The plane landed in the Paris International Airport around noon, and the gang quickly made there way toward the hospital. Sly practically leapt out of the car, dressed in a very simple yet effective disguise, at least that's what Bentley said. Sly moved quickly through the hospital, remembering exactly where Carmelita's room was.

Sly moved into the door, and smiled as he saw his favorite Interpol inspector sitting up in her bed, watching the TV. Carmelita turned, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the stranger at her door for a few moments. Carmelita then smiled, putting two and two together, "Well, I guess you are a man of your word, ringtail."

Sly breathed a sigh of relief, stepping into the room. He grabbed a nearby chair, pulling it up beside the bed as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Carmelita stretched, stifling a yawn, "Wonderful actually, since all my body has been doing since this started is sleep. I tell you, I haven't felt this well rested in years."

Sly nodded his head, "That's good to hear." Carmelita and Sly talked for a few minutes before Bentley, Murray, Neyla, and Rachel stepped into the room. Carmelita smiled at them, thankful to see they were all right.

Carmelita, however, soon noticed someone was missing, "Where is Blain."

Sly shrugged his shoulders, "We don't really know, he just disappeared."

Rachel bit her lip, turning away from Sly and the others, "That is not entirely true."

Sly turned, a bit of worry filtering into his voice, "What do you mean Rachel?"

Rachel fell silent, hanging her head as she faced the wall of the hospital room, "When Blain made Carmelita into an angle, he put a heavy strain on his magic and his physical body. That alone would have been enough to kill him in about thirty minutes. Then, when Carmelita missed, he had to put an even greater strain on his body. He had to summon mystical swords, every one he could manage, and then fuse them together into the two swords you and Carmelita used to defeat Mz. Ruby. No mystic in the world can handle all those spells at once. Their magic starts to rage out of control, slowly changing the mystic himself into magic."

Rachel paused, tears starting to run down her face as she turned to face the others, "Simply, Blain pushed himself too far. He became a part of the spell, his body, mind, and soul becoming more fuel for the fire. He gave up his life so you two could defeat Mz. Ruby, and save the world from a terrible fate."

Sly, Bentley, Murray, Neyla, and Carmelita were in shock. Bentley was shaking his head, his mind trying to figure out a reason, any reason, that Rachel could be wrong. Murray flopped down in a nearby chair, almost breaking the poor thing. Sly had turned to Carmelita, and both were staring at the other in shock.

Neyla, however, was taking it the worst. Blain could have easily bound her soul, her life to the spell and save his own. He deserved to live far more then she did, but he probably didn't even consider such an action. Neyla sunk to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her before she began to pound the floor with a fist, cursing Blain. Why did he have to be so courageous and honorable, why didn't he just use her in his place.

Rachel looked across the room, her own tears starting to flow more freely. In that room she saw a group of people whose lives had been touched by Blain, and who had touched his life in return. She, however, just wished she could have a chance to tell him what was in her heart. Now that Blain was gone, it was easy for Rachel to admit it. She had loved the panther, the Shadow Walker she was supposed to hate. She had fallen in love with him.

The group was silent for a few minutes, but it seemed like hours. Then, all of the sudden, there was a gentle knock on the door. The door then slowly swung open, a familiar voice saying, "I hope I haven't missed anything."

The gang looked up, and saw a panther dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt step into the door. The gang's face brightened up, but before anyone could say anything Rachel had rushed forward, wrapped her arms around the panther's neck, and pressed her lips against his.

Blain blinked a few times, but let the kiss linger for a few minutes before he pulled his head away from Rachel's, "It's nice to know I was missed."

Rachel shook her head, holding tightly to Blain, "You should be dead."

Blain rubbed the back of his head, "Really, why is that."

Bentley stepped forward, looking over Blain as if searching for something that shouldn't be there, "Rachel told us that casting three powerful spells would put to much strain on your body, and you would basically become magical energy for your final spell."

"Well, I must say Rachel knows her stuff. I did have to become magic to help power the last spell."

Murray scratched his head, "Then, wait, how can you be standing here."

Blain smiled, walking past Rachel before bending down to Neyla, who was still sitting on the floor. He gentle raised a hand, pointing towards Neyla's heart. A small sphere slowly rose out of Neyla's chest, glowing as it moved over the Blain's hand. Blain stood up straight, letting the sphere of light disappear to reveal a small pocket watch.

Blain then moved over the Murray, snapping his fingers as another small sphere rose out of Murray's chest. This sphere disappeared, and left a small statue with a person sitting crossed legged in meditation. Blain pulled a sphere from Bentley, Sly, and Carmelita as well. From Bentley the sphere revealed a book, Sly's sphere contained a diamond, and Carmelita's had held a medallion.

Blain then turned to Rachel, stepping up to her as a sixth sphere slowly rose out of her chest. The sphere slowly died away, and left a single small glowing speck. Blain grabbed the speck out of the air, holding it up as he said, "The spark of life hidden inside every clock of time."

Blain gently opened the pocket watch, and dropped the small grain of light into it. The clock began to glow, as well as all the other items Blain held. The objects then broke apart, flowing together into a white mist that hung in the air. The mist then slowly settled into Blain's body, and disappeared.

The gang was in awe as Blain smiled at them, "With my last shred of magic, I cast one final spell. A piece of my soul went to those who had formed the strongest bond with me. Bonds of friendship, bonds of love, even a bond forged of magic. So basically, I entrusted each of you with a piece of my soul, and I couldn't have chosen anyone better to carry my life with them."

Paris, France

Residence of Jefferson Smith, Smuggler and Extortionist

No evidence available in case

12:47 A.M

Three months after Carmelita was released from the hospital

Sly Cooper, master thief, crept through the darkened halls of Jefferson Smith's large manor. He looked around, easily avoiding security beams and spot lights as he made his way to the heart of the manor. Sly then heard footsteps down a nearby hall, and froze as he listened. He then smiled, moving into the junction of the two halls as he said, "You're ahead of schedule."

A tale fox women walked down the hall. She was dressed in long black jeans, soft soul boots that were tied up to her knees, her usual black halter top and a black jacket over top. Over top of her eyes was a thin black strip meant to hide her identity, and her long dark blue hair was pulled back in its usual pony tail.

Carmelita smiled, walking up beside Sly, "I finished my part of the heist, and I thought I would come help you." Sly shook his head, but gently leaned over and placed a kiss on Carmelita's cheek. A month after Carmelita recovered from having her soul shattered she left Interpol to join up with the Cooper Gang. As of yet, everyone just thought she had quit and gone back home to Spain. They didn't know how wrong they were.

It had been hard at first for Carmelita to work on the wrong side of the law, but Sly, Murray, and Bentley had all helped her ease into a life of honorable crime, as they called it. Blain, Rachel, and Neyla had taken there leave a week after Carmelita was back at work, saying they needed some time to find their paths in life after such a wild adventure.

Sly and Carmelita continued to creep toward the manor's library, where a very special artifact was being kept. It was a painting of an ancient Chinese dragon, but it had been done in European style. It was a truly one of a kind piece, and worth a huge chunk of money on Thief Net. Besides, Jefferson Smith had stolen the painting from the tomb of a Chinese emperor along with several other artifacts. He had sold all the others, but kept the painting because he liked it, and it was the most valuable thing that had been in the tomb.

Sly and Carmelita avoided a few more security systems, and soon found themselves in Smith's library. Sly looked up above a now cold and silent fire place, expecting to see a large tapestry. Instead, the wall was bear. Sly raised an eyebrow, looking around when he heard someone say, "You up for a little friendly competition Sly?"

Sly and Carmelita turned to see Rachel and Blain standing in the far corner of the room. Both were dressed in long, black, flowing robes that made it easy for them to disappear into a puff of smoke. Sly turned, smiling as he waved, "Hey, it's been a while. What have you two been up to?"

Blain and Rachel walked forward as Blain said, "Well, the biggest piece of news is waiting in your mailbox. Other than that, Rachel and I have started a new group."

Sly and Carmelita glanced at each other, and then Carmelita asked, "What kind of group?"

Blain and Rachel just smiled, walking silently out of the room. Suddenly, Sly Binocucom began to ring. He quickly picked it up, raising the device to his face as he said, "Guess who we just saw Bentley."

In his usual nasally voice, Bentley replied, "Blain and Rachel."

Sly lowered the binocucom a second, a little surprised before he said, "How did you know."

Bentley grumbled a bit, practically shouting in Sly's ear, "How do I know, take a guess. Neyla just came darting by the van with Cye, the wolf guy from Russia, and they were carrying the painting you two were supposed to steal."

Sly and Carmelita looked at each other before both quickly turned and darted out of the room after Blain and Rachel. However, the two mystics were no where to be found. All Sly and Carmelita could find was a small card near the entrance. The card was setting open like a birthday card, and on the inside was a diagram. It was a circular design, a whip making up the circle itself while a pair of swords formed an X shape inside the whip. Finally, two claw marks were on the left and right side of the X, three long nail marks on each side.

Sly and Carmelita stared at the card for a few second before they heard footsteps behind them. Sly turned to see Cye, the wolf that had been cursed by Johannes, walking towards them with the painting held above his head. Cye set the painting down against the wall, waving at Sly and Carmelita a second before literally disappearing into thin air.

When Murray got into the manor to get the painting, he found a note on the back. It read, "The first surprise of the night you have just enjoyed. After running around with your gang for so long, some of us got a taste of thievery, and liked it. So, keep a look out for us in the news, because it's high time the Cooper Gang had some good, friendly business rivals, and associates should either one of us want to try a particularly hard heist.

Your Friends,

Blain, Rachel, Neyla, and Cye

The Mystic X Gang

Bentley was in an uproar, but Sly, Carmelita, and Murray could only laugh. Sly was still smiling when the gang got back to the old opera house that served as their home base. He wondered what kind of fun it would be to have another gang working against them. Surly it would be as much fun as Carmelita chasing his ringed tail across rooftops.

As Bentley sat down at his computer chair, grumbling as he worked on selling the painting on ThiefNet Murray went to the kitchen to make a snake. Carmelita took a seat on chair, relaxing after spending so much time running in-between security points for Bentley. Sly mindlessly slipped out to the front of the opera house, and grabbed the gang's mail. Nine times out of ten it was just junk mail. Still, on a rare occasion, there was something worth looking at in the mail box of the supposedly abandoned theater.

Sly flipped mindlessly through the eight envelopes. The first was a credit card offer, second was a credit card offer, the third was a bank loan ad, the fourth was something in a plain white envelope addressed to him, the fifth was another credit card offer, the sixth was refinancing your mortgage annoyance, the seventh was a free edition of some magazine, and the eighth was a advertisement for a shoe stores grand opening.

Sly sighed, about to throw the mail down in the usual garbage when he flipped through it a second time and grabbed the plain white envelope that was addressed to him. He turned it over, three stamps and no return address. Sly cautiously opened the envelope, afraid someone was trying to poison him or something. Still, when nothing came out of the envelope Sly slowly reached in and pulled out what looked like a greetings card. The front had golden lettering against a black background, and read, ", and the eighth was an advertisement for a shoe stores grand opening.

Sly stared at the card for several moments, raising an eyebrow before he gently opened it and read the inside. When he finished, Sly slowly smiled as he walked back up to the gang's living room inside the theaters old dormitories. Bentley looked up at Sly and asked, "What do you have their Sly?"

Sly smiled, gently handing the card to Bentley. Bentley looked at the front of the card, and then gently opened it. Murray came in from the kitchen, a half eaten sandwich in his hand, "What's it say Bentley."

Bentley shook his head once, rubbing his eyes before he read aloud, "Well, the front said that we were cordially invited, and the inside says:

You are invited to the wedding of

Blain Shadow Walker

And

Rachel Leo Blitz

On August 14th at 5:00P.M.

Reception will follow

Music and Food Provided

Disguises will be allowed

Please call ASAP with response

Bentley finished reading, and everyone in the room was silent, and smiling. Sly finally broke the silence, whistling as he said, "Well, a new gang and a new pair of fiancés. Things are going to get interesting around here in the next few months."

The End

Author Note: The story comes to an end, but it is not only a time of sadness. This is a time for joy, because as of July 31st, 2006, this story is the greatest accomplishment I have ever had on The number of reviews is in the triple digits, their are over 87,000 words, and I ahve never had such wonderful comments from my readers. Thank you all, and just because I know its true.

SLY COOPER STEALS THE SHOW IN ANY CONTEST.