Thieves United

PARIS, FRANCE: 6:30 AM

Finally having made it up to Carmelita enough for causing her so much trouble, Sly was sitting in his usual chair, one foot resting on the seat of the chair so he could rest his elbow on his knee; his trademark sitting position. He was staring up at the ceiling boredly while Carmelita typed on her keyboard. What she was doing, Sly had no idea, but she was doing it with intense concentration. The raccoon sighed.

"Okay," He said, sounding a little annoyed. "Now I'm bored. Why haven't we gotten any calls for a case, or anything?"

"It's always boring the first few days after a big case," Carmelita said, still typing absently on her computer. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and Sly had to smile when he looked at her. She looked cute with glasses.

"That case wasn't that big, though," He countered. All they had done was throw Dimitri in jail. Sly's ears lowered. Man, he felt bad for that…

"You're just used to having the freedom to vent off energy whenever you have it," Carmelita answered. She looked at him through her glasses. "If you're so restless, going down to the workout room; they'll have some stuff for you to do there."

"Not really a place for a Constable to be," Sly said, hopping out of his chair. "But, okay."

Before she could react, Sly quickly brushed a light kiss on her lips before pulling away, and walking towards the door. He heard Carmelita laugh softly behind him as he put his hand on the door handle, turned it, and let the door swing open.

"Get me a coffee, too," Carmelita said. "After that, you'll have repaid me enough."

"Anything for you, Gorgeous," Sly said, immediately perking up again, giving her one of his trademark smiles, and he stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

It was true; Interpol actually had a workout room that more physical cops would go to for training, and building their stamina. They also had some recreational activities, too, just for the restless cop that didn't want to be stuck in the office all day while their partner typed on the computer, much like Sly. Because of all his pent-up energy from the feisty make-out session he had had with Carmelita, the raccoon decided to take the stairs down to the basement, where the workout room was located.

Walking into the large room, Sly looked around. He had never been in there before, and he was rather surprised at all the things you could do. Basketball, target practice with guns, and there was a separate weight-room on the far side of the room… Then Sly saw Robin. The fox was doing archery, and as Sly walked towards him, he was shocked to see that when Robin let the arrow go, it hit dead-centre in the middle of the target.

"Impressive," Sly said, and Robin turned to look at him. Sly grinned. "I didn't know you were a Robin Hood."

Robin laughed. "I am, actually," He said, taking up another arrow from the arrow-holder sitting next to him on the ground. "What did you think the H in my name stood for? Harold?"

"Robin Hood Mace," Sly said. The raccoon laughed a bit. "Well, isn't that just ironic?"

"What are you doing down here, anyway?" Robin asked, loading the arrow into his bow, and aiming it at the target again. He let the arrow go. It hit right next to the previous one. "I thought the Chief would be chomping on your guts right about now."

"I told him a little white lie," Sly confessed. "I told him we never actually talked at all last night. Didn't want to get both of us in trouble."

"So it went alright, then?"

"Yeah," Sly said. "Chief forgives me. I'm just forbidden to look up any information on Merah Ringo at all because it's your case."

Robin didn't say anything to that. The small smile that had been on his face faltered and he kept his eyes on the floor. He just picked up another arrow, loading it into his bow. Sly saw the sadness in Robin's brown eyes, even though the fox wasn't looking at him. So, deciding to figure out what was wrong (he suspected it was about Merah), he said casually, "So, uh… what, um… what were you doing with Merah at the club last night, anyway?"

"Just partying," Robin said, and he shot the arrow, but the shot wasn't as great as the other two. "Y'know… hanging out."

"Isn't… she… the case you're supposed to be trying to arrest?" Sly asked. Robin sighed.

"I don't have the heart to arrest her," He said quietly, picking yet another arrow. "She's just… she's a free spirit, full of… joie-de-vivre and… happiness, and… fun. Putting her behind bars… it'd just destroy her entire being." He let the arrow fly, and it just barely hit the corner of the target. Sly knew his shots were being affected by conflicting thoughts.

"You really care about her, huh?" Sly asked softly. Robin, who had already taken aim with another arrow, sighed, and loosened his grip on it, lowering the arrow point to the ground. He just stared at the target, not really seeing it.

"I love her more than anything," He said. "But… our opposing jobs make it almost impossible. Last night, when I was with her, I wasn't Detective Mace, trying to arrest the thief, Merah Ringo. I was just… Robin and she was just Merah. We weren't anything at all last night except for each other. I wish it could always be like that."

Robin took aim with the arrow again, and shot it at the target, but it missed completely. Sighing, the fox set down his bow, and crossed his arms, looking at the floor.

"I almost have half a mind to quit my job," He confessed finally. "But I won't. Because I know she wouldn't want me to, and I know I'd regret it later."

Sly sighed. He knew exactly how Robin felt. Though, while Robin was strong enough to stick with something he loved, Sly had changed occupations, and though he was enjoying himself, he still missed the thrills of the heists. He missed Bentley's slideshows, and Murray's loud victory speeches. He missed seeing Penelope use her gizmos, like the RC car and the RC chopper. He really missed his gang.

"Trust me, Rob," Sly said after a while. "I know how you feel. It was the same way with Carmelita at one time; our opposing jobs made it impossible for us to be together."

Robin looked up at him sharply and curiously then, and Sly's heart sank. He had just realized what he said.

"Aw, man!" Sly groaned. Robin let a huge smile break out across his face, and he laughed, thumping Sly hard on the back.

"You sneaky devil!" Robin said admirably, throwing an arm around Sly's shoulders. "You're a right ol' liar, Cooper. Amnesia… what a cheep trick."

"You make it sound like I killed someone," Sly said, grinning, happy to see Robin thought this was funny. The fox just shook his head, and clapped Sly's shoulder, laughing again.

"I can't believe you, raccoon," He said. "What made you decide to become a cop, then?"

"Carmelita," Sly answered truthfully. "I wanted for us to start a relationship, but I knew she wouldn't agree to it if I was still a thief. It's nice to be around Carmelita all the time instead of running away from her, but I miss it."

"I'd ask Merah to become a cop," Robin said. "But I don't think she'd be too happy with me. She's been a… rebel for most of her life, so for me to ask her to change would annoy her to no end."

"Hey, Rob," Sly said suddenly, looking around a little nervously. "Could you, uh… keep the fact that I still have my memories a secret?"

"Mum's the word, ol' boy." Robin said. "The secret's safe with me."

Sly liked Robin; he was an easy guy to like, laid back, easy-going, and the fact that he thought Sly's lie about having amnesia was funny made Sly like him even more. He was proving to be a good friend. He was also very grateful Robin agreed to keep it a secret, and that the Detective didn't arrest him when he found out.

The talk with Robin helped Sly vent off some of his energy. After that, they had spent about an hour shooting arrows at the target. Robin's aim had gotten better again, so he was hitting a perfect bulls-eye with every shot. Sly, who had never done archery before, was close to matching Robin's shot, but the fox was still much better.

Grabbing a cup of coffee for her like he had promised after he went back upstairs, Sly made his way to Carmelita's office. She wasn't in there when he went inside, so he just set the warm mug on her desk, and looked around. Everything seemed to be in place… Maybe she just went to the washroom. Yeah, that was it… Then something on the computer screen caught Sly's attention, and he sat down in Carmelita's chair. It was a video file, taken from one of the security cameras in St. Reis' Prison. Sly took the mouse in his hand, and moved it over to the 'Play' button, clicking it.

The hallway was dark for a bit, and then Sly's saw a figure creeping through the shadows. They glanced around a bit before running to a cell, pulling out a ring of keys from their pocket, and unlocking the cell door. Sly narrowed his eyes when he saw the prisoner that was being let free; Dimitri. Then Sly smiled.

"You devil, Bentley," He muttered. "Getting Merah to help you again."

The next evening, Sly dressed in a black sweater, dark blue-jeans, and his black shoes. He wore a hat, and had the rim pulled low over his eyes, so no one would recognize him. He was going to see Bentley and Murray, and if anyone cops were roaming about on patrol, he didn't want to be spotted with his former gang members.

Locking his apartment door behind him, he took the elevator to the bottom floor, and went to the parking-lot where he kept his motorbike. He slipped his helmet over his head, and turned the key in the ignition. Then, with a feeling of excitement like he used to feel when he was a thief, Sly roared down the street, joining up with the traffic, headed for his meeting with the gang.

About twenty minutes from his apartment was La Café Petite. It was a quaint little place, an open-air café, and there were couples seated at the small, round tables spread out over the place. In the parking lot, Sly found a free spot, and slowed his bike to a stop. He pulled the keys from the ignition, and removed his helmet, fixing his hat so it was low over his eyes again. He was headed for the restaurant when something hit the side of his foot, and he looked down curiously, a smile forming on his lips when he saw what it was. A familiar blue, little RC car with a flower attached to it was sitting at his feet. It nudged his ankle once more before backing up away from him, and turning to go in the direction he assumed it must have come from. Sly followed it, silently giving his friends praise; their idea to meet near a public place instead of in one was excellent.

It leaded him to a wide alley way, right next to the café. It was wide enough to be a street, but the dead-end that he knew must be at the end prevented it from ever becoming one. The little blue RC car drove its way quickly down the alley, being swallowed by darkness as it went. Sly followed after it, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He stopped for a minute to let his eyes adjust to the dark, and then he pressed on.

His heart leapt when he saw the looming silhouette of the van before him. Most people, if they decided to venture into the unknown dark, would probably think some drug-dealers were trying to jump them and steal their money, but Sly could make out the eyes of the raccoon face painted on the back doors; he knew he was safe.

Before he was even able to get close to the van, though, he was suddenly pulled into a tight, spine-crushing bear-hug that he knew must be from Murray; who else was big and strong enough to crush Sly like that? His feet weren't even touching the floor.

"You're here! You're here!" Murray's voice cried with happiness, and Sly started to laugh. He was as happy to see Murray as Murray was to see him.

"Yeah, I'm here!" Sly said, imitating Murray's tone. "But you're squishing me, pal. Can I breathe?"

"Oh," Murray said, and he set Sly on the ground again. "Sorry, Sly."

"S'ok," Sly said. Then he launched himself and Murray, hugging him back. "Man, am I glad to see you!"

"Sly!" A female voice said, and after Sly let Murray go, Penelope ran up, and gave Sly a huge kiss on the cheek. "You followed my RC car alright?"

"Yeah," Sly said, smiling at her. "It was a good idea, too."

"Well…" Penelope said modestly, blushing a bit. "It was all Bentley's idea to try and meet with you."

"But it was Murray's plan to give Sly the note," Bentley's voice said from behind Penelope, and she stepped out of the way so Bentley could see Sly. The turtle just looked at his friend, his face molded into a neutral, expression.

"Sly," He said flatly.

"Bentley," Sly said, sounding just as emotionless. Then, at the same time, they moved in to give each other a hug.

"You sneaky devil," Bentley said, smiling. "I knew you faked the amnesia."

"And I knew that you had figured me out," Sly said, clapping the turtle on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, Bentley; I've missed you guys a lot."

"Did any police officers see you coming?" Penelope asked.

"No," Sly said. "That's why I wore the hat, so they couldn't see my face."

"Good," Bentley said. "Come into the van, we have a lot to talk about."

The van still looked the same inside; Bentley's computer mounted up on one wall, Penelope's bag of gizmos next to it, and some spare van parts belonging to Murray were in a box under his seat. Sly smiled when he pulled himself into the van. It still smelled like pizza from the times when they'd eat until they got sick. Sly still remembered getting up five or six times in the middle of the night to throw up.

"Yep," Sly said, crossing his arms over his chest, letting his eyes roam around the interior of the van. "I've missed this piece of junked-up metal. It's helped me get out of a few jams, that's for sure."

"Sit down, Sly," Bentley said, wheeling his chair over to his computer as Murray climbed into the van. Penelope was already sitting on the floor, and Sly copied her by doing the same. Bentley typed a few keys, and then an internet page came up, showing a picture of a beautiful sky-blue jewel. Bentley looked at Sly through his glasses.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked the raccoon sitting on the floor.

"A jewel?" Sly asked.

"It's a diamond," Bentley said. "It was created by scientists and archeologists who wanted to try and alter the color of diamonds to make them more valuable. You know, like the way a pink pearl would be worth more than a regular pearl?"

"I get it," Sly said. "So… what's the point?"

"The scientists managed to make this large stone change color to the lovely sky-blue, as you can see." Bentley said formally. "The only problem is, with the chemicals they used, not only did the diamond change color, but a deadly gas formed itself inside of it. Plutonium, to be exact. It was completely and totally an accident."

"Plutonium?" Sly repeated. "Wouldn't that like… wipe out all of Asia?"

"Asia, Japan, Africa, and Australia, to be exact; half the world would go up in smoke." Bentley said.

"Wow…" Sly breathed.

"Anyway, we recently discovered that if this blue diamond was paired with these five other stones, and taken up to the center of the world, it would mean the end of the world as we know it. The whole world, not just half." Bentley regarded Sly seriously for a moment before continuing. "With the light of Polaris, the Northern Star, and the energy inside these five other stones, it would cause the diamond to heat up, and break, causing the Plutonium to be unleashed, and for a massive explosion to take place. Everyone and everything would die."

"Okay, okay," Sly said, holding up a hand. "Why are we talking about death and destruction?"

"We're not," Bentley said. "We're talking about what we should do to prevent death and destruction."

"And what should we do?" the raccoon asked. Bentley turned back to his computer, and pressed another few keys. Another internet page popped up onto the screen, showing a picture of 5 gems, each one resting on the point of a star.

"These are the five Elements," Bentley explained. "Lucky for us, we only have to recover four. One of them was the Fire Stone of India, but you stole that years ago."

Sly chuckled. "You still have that, huh?"

"Along with some of the other stuff you stole," Bentley said with a smile, but then went right back to business again. "So, with the Fire Stone of India out of the way, we just have to get the Water Stone of Australia, The Lightning Stone of Africa, the Wind Stone of China, and the Earth Stone of Europe. Lucky for us, they're all located in the Louvre in different exhibits."

"Wait a sec," Sly said suddenly, realization finally dawning on him. "You want me to steal these?"

"Well, of course," Bentley said. "Who else is going to steal them?"

Sly's ears drooped, and he sighed, looking down at the floor of the van. He wanted to help Bentley… he really did. But…

"Bentley, I'm not a thief anymore." Sly said quietly. "I'm a police officer, now. I… I can't help you."

Bentley gawked at him. "Sly, the fate of the entire world is at stake, here!"

"There's another thief out there that's been sending us e-mails." Penelope said, jumping in. Sly looked up at her curiously. "They want us to 'stay out of their way' and steal the Blue Diamond for themselves, as well as the five Elements. We suspect this thief doesn't know the entire result of what will happen if all six stones are paired together, but all we know is that we can't let this person get a hold of any of the gems. That's why we need you to tell the five Elements for us."

"What about getting Merah to do it?" Sly asked. Penelope's mood immediately darkened at the sound of the female raccoon thief's name, and Sly was rather surprised to see her eyes go icy. Penelope crossed her arms, and she glared at Sly so darkly, that he thought if looks could kill, he'd be dead already.

"I'd rather be dead than let that irritatingly perfect, self-centered, snot of a raccoon join our team," Penelope seethed. Sly shivered.

"You must, uh…" He swallowed her, actually scared of Penelope's sudden, yet passionate, anger. "Really dislike her, then?"

"Well," Bentley said, scratching the back of his head. "There's that, and the fact that Merah would ask for pay if we asked her to help us. And, unfortunately, we've already paid her something like… a thousand dollars just for her to try and lead you to us."

Sly gawked. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, then…"

"Besides, Sly," Murray said, finally speaking up. "We miss having you on the team. It's really boring without you around."

Sly took of his hat and scratched his head, thinking. So… he would have to become a thief again in order to steal all of those priceless jewels. That would make working with Carmelita and the police pretty risky… but then, when he thought about it, he wasn't stealing for his own gain; instead, it was for the safety of the world.

"Alright," Sly said after a long time. "I'll join the team again. But we're not going to be doing anything until after sunset, and I'll need at least a day's worth of rest, as I still have to go to work at Interpol."

"Deal," Bentley said, smiling. "Thanks, Sly."

"And, while I'm here," Sly said suspiciously. "Why did you get Merah to 'impersonate' me, anyway?"

"Oh…" Bentley said. "Well… you see…"

And Bentley told the story of his attempted plans to try and get Sly back on the team; the whole plan with Dimitri, and then Merah as a plan B. Sly was thoroughly enjoying Bentley's tale. He felt right at home in the team van. It felt just like old times. Then Sly asked if Merah had helped spring Dimitri out of jail. With a sheepish, 'Yes…' Bentley turned as red as an apple. Sly had to laugh, and told Bentley he forgave him; Sly didn't want to arrest Dimitri, either.

Eventually, it was time for Sly to head back home because of work in the morning. Bentley promised to contact him at his apartment when they planned to pull a heist for the gems. Sly agreed that it was a good idea, and before he left, Murray handed him a red backpack and his cane. Sly took the cane hesitantly, and then he smiled when he felt the weight of it in his hands. His family cane… the one his father had passed down to him before he died.

"Thanks, Murray," Sly said, smiling up at his big hippo friend.

"Look after yourself, pal," Murray said.

"Don't worry," Sly said, chuckling. Then, after giving Penelope a hug (she was feeling a little less angry now), Sly turned to Bentley. "It's been really good to see you again, Bentley. I'm sorry for ditching you guys like I did. Just… looking at you and Penelope… I wanted to be with Carmelita."

"I know," Bentley said. "And you have every right to be with her."

"I just… can't help but feel bad for leaving the team," Sly said, looking down at the hook of his cane. "You guys have done so much for me in the past, and I just up and left."

"Well, you're repaying us a great deal for you help now," Bentley replied, smiling. "So, thanks."

Sly gave the turtle a small grin. "No, Bentley. Thank you."

I let myself out of the van then, the red pack Murray had given me holding my old thieving outfit strapped to my back, and my cane clutched tightly in my hand. It felt good to feel the weight of the cane again. Really good. I can't believe I ever thought I could just give it up like I had…

As I rode home on my bike, my thoughts were back on how I felt when I was with the gang. It had felt just like the old days when we were young and foolish, ready for anything. My thoughts were also on the job Bentley wanted me to do. I was just lucky that all the stones I needed to steal were in Paris, and not spread out across the world, like they normally would have been.

As I carried my cane and backpack into my house, I promised myself, and my team mates, that I wouldn't let them down. I'd stick with them to the end.

The Very End.

End of:

Former Life, Former Friends

A/N: Okay, show of hands, who saw this coming?

Come ON, people, you can't have a Sly Cooper story without having Sly Cooper himself as a thief! It's just… not…. right! Geez, I was soo mad after the end of the third game… I still can't believe Sly gave up his life as a thief. I'm gonna shoot somebody at Sucker Punch if that's the complete end of the Sly Cooper Adventures. Mark my words!

Anyway, R&R!