Hey everyone,
Well, we're getting ever closer. I think I am going to cover both the meeting between Urmila, Bentley and Murray in this chapter as well as the meeting between Barkley and Michael. And maybe even throw in a quick interaction between the Cooper Gang. After that, we are finally going to cover the birthday day itself and while I might cover the whole anniversary thing after that, I also want to focus on the downfall of Interpol, which is also a vital part of the story.
Okay, let's roll,

Venquine1990
PS. Guru's gibberish is just me putting random letters together. Don't expect there to be any consistency when it comes to his language, even when I translate it to English.

Chapter 03
Several Meetings

11th of June 2007
Interpol HQ, Paris
Michael's POV

"Hey boss, got a minute?" I keep my tone pleasant, even though I want nothing more than to tie this bastard to his own chair and then shoot him between the legs with my Shock Gun over and over. I force these thoughts out of my mind and just accept the invitation to sit down. "What can I do for you, Edwards?" The Badger gruffly asks me. Luckily my wife and I came up with an idea last night at dinner and I happily set it into motion.
"You know how, in a few weeks from now, it's going to be the anniversary of when Inspector Fox saved us all from Clock-La, right?" The Badger growls and mutters: "Yeah, I also know that you have been paying officers to keep me from sending Fox out of the country these past few weeks." I roll my eyes and say: "I've been helping you, boss. Cooper is still in Paris and if you keep Inspector Fox here, you'll increase your chances to catch him."

The badger seems to contemplate this and I say: "However, that doesn't mean that you should let her work on such a national holiday. Last year, the date was on a Friday and most of Paris was closed. Schools, libraries, a lot of offices and stores. Even a few smaller theatres and restaurants closed their doors that day. And I know that afterwards, there were plenty enough people upset that Inspector Fox hadn't been, even more upset that she had been sent out."
The badger now glares suspiciously and growls: "What are you getting at?" But I remain calm and say: "I'm not getting at anything, boss. I'm just saying that it will be good for our PR if Inspector Fox is seen to have a day off on the day she saved all of our skins. And my wife just so happens to have good relations with a few local PR companies as well as a few smaller newspapers. And if it's headline news in those, it will definitely be mentioned in the big ones too."

The badger appears thoughtful again and I think: "Don't make me use my actual stuff, Barkley. Prove me you can play it smart, you bastard." And Barkley proves that he is indeed able as he turns to me with a raised eyebrow and asks: "Didn't you recently meet with that famous designer? The one Fox is so gaga about?" I fake to perk up and exclaim: "Brilliant idea, chief! If people hear that you sent Fox to her favorite designer, you'll get promoted for sure!"
And instantly the idiot bites. He grins and barks: "Andrews, I hereby order you to take Fox with you on Friday the 22nd, leave an hour early, get her to that Svet-whatever her name is and make sure that the two of them are seen together on the following Saturday, you got that?" I happily reach over the desk and say: "You got it, chief." And after he shakes my hand and I leave his office, I think: "And you just saved your own skin at the same time – for a few more days."

I quickly store this thought away and just leave the guy's floor, completely blind to the raised eyebrows I get from some of my coworkers. I know just fine that these are the ones that are 100% in Barkley's book and that they have the same mindset about Carmelita as Barkley, but I stopped caring about them now that I know that the Cooper gang is going to be on their tails soon. Instead, I just head back to my own floor.
There I make a quick stop at Carmelita's office. The fox tries to hide a flinch as she sees the door open, which really just pains me, but she almost beams when she sees that it's me. And her eyes widen when I relay what just happened at Barkley's office. I then make sure to move as close to her ear as is decently acceptable and whisper: "And I didn't even have to blackmail him for it." Before I leave back to my own office and my own work.

A few days later
20th of June 2007
Urmila's POV

"Bonjour Mon Ami. How is my favorite little brother doing?" I hug Sly tightly after he has closed the door to his Hide out behind me. Everything I have told the Fox and Andrews Family over the last few weeks is the honest truth as Sly holds the majority of my heart, the rest of it reserved for my work and my staff as well as my parents and my grandmama. And the loving way that Sly returns my hug just further amplifies my reasons for loving him.
"Hey Urmila, great to see you. Glad that we could help you with that stolen collection of yours." Sly says as he greets me back. I notice Bentley and Murray come up behind him, but also notice someone new walking behind Murray. The little old purple Koala almost disappears behind Murray's large form, but there is no mistaking his incredible wisdom or the wild kind of charm that he carries himself with. And his cane is also quite the incredible bit of wood.

"Oh right! Urmila, this is Guru. He was Murray's master during the time we were apart. He came with us after our last caper in the Australian Outback and is going to help us get access to the Cooper Vault on Kaine Island." Sly tells me as he motions for the old, powerful, but tiny little being. And because I know how much Murray respects his master, I bow to the creature and say: "Bonjour, it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, monsieur."
Yet the creature replies back: "Habeda hesh mekla piu." I look at him, but try not to stare weirdly as Bentley says: "Right, Guru kind of has his own language. You figure it out after a few conversations, but we'll just translate in the meantime. He said that family of Murray doesn't need to bow before him as he considers them friend, not acquaintance." I feel impressed that so many words can be translated from such a small statement.

Yet I then remember my original reason for coming here and turn to my brother as I say: "Sly, I decided that your party should be held at my place, at the usual room. Also, I wanted to throw you a birthday party, but I will need Bentley and Murray to help me decide on the theme. So I am going to be stealing them and the Guru from you for a few short hours, Mon Ami." Sly laughs at my wordplay, just like he always does and says: "Sure, sounds great, Urmila."
And just like the other times when I would tell him this, I playfully pat his nose with my nail and say: "And remember, no sneaking up on us to find out what the surprise is." Sly nods and his eyes convey that he intends to follow my orders. I smile at my little brother, even if some might wonder how a raccoon and a snake could ever be close. Our species might not be natural enemies, but I know some might wonder regardless. And yet I never really cared for this.

A few minutes later I am back in my office, the same one I met the Fox and Andrews family in a few weeks ago. And while they might not know it, they met me in the private office that I usually reserve for when I meet with Sly and his friends. I know I have the recording of this ready in case Bentley and Murray need help convincing, but I also know that convincing them of my plan will be even more of a challenge, especially Bentley who is easily scared.
"So, you got any ideas for Sly's birthday?" Bentley asks as he opens the conversation and I giggle as I say: "I was thinking that we theme the whole thing around Inspector Fox." Instantly the three burst out laughing and Murray says: "That would make Sly's day, but if the Inspector ever found out, she'd roast him alive – and that without needing to use her Shock Gun, too." Bentley and Guru nod in agreement to this, but then I ask:

"But what if she won't?" The three stop laughing and Bentley asks: "Won't find out, you mean?" I shake my head and say: "No, I mean what if she won't object to the idea?" Murray declares: "How would she even know? Sure Sly would love to tell her about it, but that wouldn't be until after the fact. She won't be able to object after it already happened." I nod at his statement and say: "That is true, Murray, unless – someone already told her."
"URMILA! YOU DIDN'T!" Bentley exclaims, but I quickly silence him and say: "Hush Bentley, let me explain. I met with Carmelita's family after she and Sly retrieved my stolen collection for me. I wanted to thank her and needed their help in finding out how. Through them I found out that Inspector Fox has a deeper care and respect for Sly than she usually shows, probably because it could hurt her job if she does show this to the public.
I also found out that she's having some issues at work that cause her great stress and met with her myself a few days later. When I offered it to her, she – well, she cried, Bentley. The poor thing cried because she was under so much stress and the idea of being treated the way Sly treats her for a full day felt like a reprieve she hadn't been expecting she could get anymore. So you see, Mon Ami, if we pull this off, we'll be making both of them very, very happy."

Bentley and Murray are gaping at me by now, while Guru looks at me with a keen sense of interest. "I don't know what's more surprising. That Inspector Fox is under so much stress that she broke down in front of you upon her first meeting or that she found out that you are in contact with us and didn't arrest you for it." Then Murray says: "To be honest, I just wonder what could be causing her that much stress." And while the Guru nods, I say:
"That is a concern for later. Inspector Fox and her family will be explaining all of that once Sly has helped her relieve some of the stress that I am sure she is still carrying deep inside, not to mention the stress that has probably been put on her since I met with her a week and a half ago. Right now, we need to focus on Sly's upcoming birthday party." I can tell that the trio is really curious, but to my relief, they nod their consent nonetheless.

I smile widely at them and say: "You are going to enjoy what I have planned, Mon Ami, though you will probably experience another shock once you hear it. And before I begin, I need to remind you that Inspector Fox knows of all of this and has given her full agreement to the idea." The trio looks a little troubled now and Bentley asks: "What exactly are you planning, Urmila?" And while I try to hide my glee behind a calm façade, I say:
"We are going to have the party be themed after Inspector Fox." The two nod. "I will make sure that the banners, garlands and slings are in the colors of our fine inspector's fur, hair and eye color." Now the three of them grin and I tell them: "The three of you will make a cake in the shape of her face." Yet at this Bentley winces and asks: "With her there?" I nod and he sighs, but still nods. I know I will make him even more uncomfortable with the rest, but I continue:
"You, Bentley need to ask Sly for some pictures and a few of his fantasies about the fine inspector. Edit the pictures to represent these fantasies and then send them to me. I will hang them up. And yes, Bentley, you need to do so. We both know that Sly has very romantic fantasies about Carmelita and I assure you, she will appreciate that fact greatly if she were to see it." The turtle seems to accept this and I grin as I reveal the big finale:

"And finally, on the Friday before his birthday – as we will hold it on Saturday like we always do – Inspector Fox will come here to meet me, I will dress her up in a brand new original design and the next morning she will pretend to be a statue – or a model, so to say – that will be the centerpiece of the room. And she will keep up that act for as long as she feels like." This time Bentley, Murray and even Guru are gaping at me.
"And she's – okay with that?" Bentley asks and I shrug as I say: "It was either that or be realistic and have her fake to be tied up to a chair or something. Would we really want to have to pretend something like that?" And instantly Bentley is wildly shaking his head from left to right. I sigh and say: "Now, Inspector Fox will have to be seen by the public on Saturday, but that is a condition her boss set her to give her a day off."

The three raise their eyebrow at me and I say: "Oui Mon Ami. Her boss is one of her causes of stress. But that is all I will divulge on the matter until such time that the Inspector herself decides. She has more rights than me to discuss these topics." The three of them nod and then Murray asks: "So, what do we tell Sly? I mean, we can't exactly keep this secret." I smile at him and say: "You can tell him about the theme and hint about the model, but nothing else."
"Wait, hint about the model?" Bentley asks and Murray slaps his fist in his hand as he says: "Oh, I get it. If we hint at that, Sly will be so over the moon, he won't ask about anything else. He'll want to be surprised on whether or not the model – or Carmelita – is really there and will not want to know about that until the day itself. He'll think it a bonus to the surprise party itself. That's brilliant, Urmila." I smile as Bentley nods.

Back at the Hide Out
Bentley's POV

I actually connected my laptop to Urmila's and sent her a few pictures of when Sly and Inspector Fox had a romantic moment together before we left. I did feel a little uncomfortable with the idea that there would be a bunch of other Interpol Inspectors at the party, but Urmila reassured me. "They are her friends and family, Bentley. They will support her when she explains what I was hinting at. They will need to be there, for her sake." And because of all the times that the Inspector has helped us with our heists, I accepted the idea.
During the ride home, Murray proves why, next to Sly, he really has the biggest heart on the team. "You know, I only know these hints that Urmila told us about the Inspector and her stress levels, but – when she told us that Carmelita had been crying, I just wished I had been there. You know, to hug her and reassure her that things would be alright." I wholeheartedly agree with the big guy, yet I also make sure I tell him:

"But don't go give Sly any hint that something's wrong with her, Murray. It could ruin the whole operation we've got going on here. And if the operation is ruined, we'll never find out what's troubling her." To which Murray says: "Well, we might not, but Sly sure will. He'll probably sneak into Interpol through the ventilation system and just listen in on the whole thing." And because I know my brother as well as Murray does, I know he's right.
We arrive home and head inside. To this day, I am still surprised that we get to do this. Just ride our van across the streets of Paris and park it in the garage of a hotel that has been believed to have been abandoned since the end of the Second World War, back in the Forties. Of course after Murray got his van, I made sure that the garage door had a sensor equipped to it that would detect the van and automatically open and close upon its arrival.

We head back down into the main base of our Hide Out – and our home – and see Sly leaning on the couch while the music channel plays on the television. I grin at this as I always knew, from a young age, that Sly could have been a famous singer thanks to his incredible voice. But I know my brother and I know how loyal and dedicated to his family and ancestry he is. Yet I'm also quite sure that, if Sly ever stops being a Master Thief, he might just try to make a name for himself in the show business, after all.
"Hey guys, you weren't gone long." Sly says as he spots us. We all move over to him and Murray says: "Yeah, Urmila already had a pretty good idea in mind, she just needed our input and a few things from Bentley to help her set it all up." The racoon looks deeply intrigued and the Guru states: "Prebebe mohgu ghi treisu pi blicsa." Which I know translates to: "Your beloved inspector will be the theme of your party, leader."

And just like Murray and I expected, Sly's eyes almost bulge out of his face as he hears this. He turns to us both and I nod before I quickly do as Urmila told me. "Sly, Urmila wants me to send her a few photos of you and the Inspector. But they can't just be photos. They need to represent some of those fantasies that you always have about Carmelita. You and I are going to pick a few out and then you're going to help me edit them to make them represent those fantasies." By now Sly is grinning like a loon and our plan takes the rest of the day.
And at dinner Murray actually sets the next step of the plan in motion. And the way that he does so really impresses me. The hippo is eating his food much slower than usual and there is a thoughtful frown on his face. "Is something the matter, buddy?" Sly is the first to ask and I quip at him: "Did your beef not turn out the way you wanted it to?" My oldest brother shakes his head and mutters: "It's – it's something that – I thought I saw when at Urmila's."

Instantly I get what Murray's planning and think: "That big brawn of muscle has a brain worthy of Albert Einstein. What a genius." And while I try to suppress a grin of glee I also send the Guru a wink from behind my thick-framed glasses. The Guru gives me the smallest of nods, which Sly misses because he's looking at Murray. "I know it sounds crazy, but – I could have sworn I saw something that – that looked like Inspector Fox."
Sly's eyes widen and he asks: "Did she see you?" Murray shakes his head and says: "No, I only saw a glimpse through a door that was ajar. And to be honest, she didn't look to be moving either. She was standing stock still, almost like a statue or something." By now I really have to work hard not to burst out snickering and while I mentally curse both Murray and Urmila, I decide to quickly throw Sly for a loop and leave him guessing, like Urmila wants us to.

"Murray, be reasonable. Think for a second, Urmila always makes huge life-size pictures of those who helped her. And just a few weeks ago, Inspector Fox got into the news for retrieving that collection that was stolen from her storage facility, remember? You must have seen the photo." Both Sly and Murray nod at this and then Murray hits the bulls-eye. "Yeah, but – I'm not sure. I mean, think Bentley. With how often Sly asks Urmila to design cloths for Carmelita –."
Murray leaves the sentence hanging and while I desperately try to feign disbelief to hide my growing amusement, I groan: "What? You think that Urmila is making a life-size model of the inspector?" Murray shrugs and says: "She could be, right? And it – oh, oops." But while Sly has the biggest childish grin of glee on his face that I have ever seen, he then leans back and says:

"Not another word on this. I don't want to find out if Murray is right or if Bentley is right until Saturday." All three of us nod and return to our dinner. And that night, I just know that Murray and Guru have sound-proved their room as I am sure that they are laughing as hysterically as I am. Yet I am also quite sure that Sly is currently sleeping with a huge goofy grin on his face, probably imagining the life-size model of his favorite inspector Fox.

That was HILARIOUS!
I had trouble writing this last bit, because I had a huge stupid grin on my own face and kept snickering and trying not to burst out laughing myself. I ABSOLUTELY love this story and am SO bloody glad that I got back to this wonderful series. I really hate that Sly Cooper Thieves In Time ended of that damned cliff-hanger and that nothing has come out about the series since. But that just inspires me to honor the franchise in my own way.
With lots of fun,

Venquine1990