SQ: Wow. Chapter 17. Amazing. I would just like to say thank you very much to everyone that has reviewed and read the story thus far. I could have never – and I mean never – have gotten to this point in the story if it weren't for your encouragement, ideas, questions, and general feedback. It's exactly what I need to keep going or see if anything needs improvement. I am terribly sorry for the delay and I'll spare the details. As for the chapter, Bentley's slide show speech has one word replaced since I couldn't tell what in the world he was saying. I'm sorry, I tried but I would have needed to look through a Bentley-preferred dictionary to find out and that would have taken time I did not have (did anyone really want to wait any longer?). With that said, I guess we're ready to start.

Faye: …Aren't you going to say it?

SQ: No. It would give too many people heart attacks right now and I would receive a never-ending stream of mail about it, wanting me to hurry up and get to the ending, not that I don't want to get there.

Faye: Good point. Heh heh. I like the ending.

SQ: -.- Of course you do. It's the greatest thing since the Clock-La-Beatings of '04.

Faye: …Hmm. More or less. It depends if you like-

SQ: (covers Faye's mouth) Darned it! Don't spoil it!

Natasha: (sneaks out on stage) Um… Welcome to Chapter Seventeen of Sly as a Cooper. Please enjoy.

Josie: Mew!

Disclaimer: … If I owned Sly's copyrights, I would dye his hat pink and give it to Murray, the ultimate Sly fan. …I don't have his hat. …Yet.

Chapter 17: Unfortunate Fate for Faye

Sly, Faye, and Natasha, holding Josie within her sweatshirt, hid behind a crumbling tower just south of Rajan's office. The grass was slick and the dirt was loose enough from the water to leave a deep impression or take off a shoe. Josie's head popped out Natasha's shirt and looked around before quickly retreating from the pouring rain. The three kept their breathing as silent as possible as they waited in the harsh weather. Faye whispered to Sly with slight anger in her voice,

"I can't believe you waited for us to get out here before you mentioned Rajan was on the prowl!" Sly whispered back,

"If I had told you earlier, you would have freaked. Besides, you need to be calm," he looked at her, "Especially if you're aiming to be a Master Thief." He smirked after speaking and Faye glanced at the ground for a moment.

"I know, I know," she grumbled, "Being calm makes it easier to think." She smirked back just before Bentley contacted Sly,

"Sly, where are you, Faye, and Natasha?" Sly reached for his earcom,

"We're all behind the crumbling tower on the east side. What about you?" Natasha titled her head in confusion, wondering what Sly and Bentley were talking about while Faye held her forearm where Neyla burned her. After a moment, Sly said,

"…Alright then. We're moving out," he released his earcom and looked at Natasha and Faye, "Bentley, wants us to get back to the safe house as soon as he lures Rajan away."

"Right," Natasha said as she held Josie close. Faye just nodded and waited for Sly to lead.

Just after a tense minute, an elephant with a spotlight projector on its back passed by and Sly said,

"Let's go." He led the group down the muddy road back to the safe house, sneaking and trying to keep their feet unstuck the entire way. Lightning lit up the sky and Faye's eye caught the glint of something near the river just three feet away. She put a finger to her lips to Natasha as they neared and quickly veered off course for a moment. The object she was eying was an iron symbol of a globe in a bird's talons with a rod wielded on to hold it. She grabbed the object that she had seen and put it in her pack before power-walking up behind Sly again, grateful that, possibly, no one else had seen what she had gazed upon.

"That…was the object Neyla burned you with…wasn't it?" echoed Yami. Faye mentally sighed,

"Yeah. I just hope that I can dispose of it without any problems." Keeping her guard up in worry and nervousness, Faye kept herself alert as she followed their experienced leader. The walk itself back to the safe house was muddy, cold, and prolonged and by the time Sly, Faye, and Natasha got to the skull, they were drenched from head to toe. Natasha shivered and chattered her teeth as she situated herself in a corner that was dry.

"Ah-choo!" she sniffled. Bentley reached inside his backpack and pulled out a verdant blanket.

"I thought we might need this just in case the weather got the best of one of us," he said. Faye took the blanket and sauntered over to Natasha, teeth slightly chattering.

"Here," she said simply, handing it to Natasha. The little panther quickly took it and wrapped herself in it.

"You better go on and rest a little, too, Faye," Bentley said as he cocked his crossbow and loaded it with sleep darts equipped with sonic disrupters. "Depending upon the severity of the upcoming jobs, we may have to wait until tomorrow to continue our caper. …Or at least until the weather improves." Faye sighed and nodded, resting her cane against the wall,

"Yeah. I guess we wouldn't want to be worn out before a mission." She sat down next to Natasha and continued, "The last thing we need is one of us being slugged by a guard and thrown into the river because of a lack of energy." Faye reached into her thigh pack and gently pulled out her mask and binocucom, being careful not to show the brander she had collected, and set them beside her to dry. She pulled off her gloves, shoes, and socks and wrung out her hair before huddling in her space to keep warm.

"Merrow?" Josie jumped from Natasha's arms under the blanket and into Faye's lap, curling up and closing her eyes. Faye smiled tenderly, like that forgotten so long ago by her world, and benevolently wrapped her arms around the small form. Her heart suddenly felt warm and her worries and foreboding thoughts left her mind. Faye's eyelids slowly fluttered shut and she slouched against the wall, unwillingly falling into the darkness of slumber.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Faye awoke in darkness; the all-too-familiar darkness of her mind where she met Yami. At least, it was the only explanation for why the Cooper Gang was no where to be seen and why no sound reached her ears.

"Welcome once again to your subconscious, Faye," Yami's voice echoed. A spotlight came on in front of her where Yami stood, injuries still visible on her person. "Excuse me for calling you here, but I believe there is something from the false reality that you would like to see?" Before she could ask how her alternate self had forced her to come there, Faye suddenly recalled their deal in the passages leading to the spice grinder.

"If you make it through this, I will show you whatever you want from the false reality."

"Or is there something you would like to ask of me?" Yami added while crossing her arms, never glancing away from her alternate self. Faye gazed at the floor, or whatever it was in her subconscious, and muttered,

"Yeah…" she looked up again and asked, "Natasha…Was she in the false reality?" Yami seemed taken aback, her eyes widening a bit.

"In the false reality…" she began, "her step-father didn't appear on the news announcing her death. Although…" she paused a moment, "I do recall someone mentioning a Vermon Venery being divorced at Interpol when I was there with Neyla. That could have very well been him."

"Then what happened?" Faye inquired, "What was so different from this world that-?" She paused. Everything from the day she met Natasha came flooding back, piecing together the broken puzzle in her mind. Faye's mouth slightly dropped open in horror and shock. "Her mother died… Natasha never mentioned much about her mother, only about her step-dad. Natasha wouldn't have run off if her mother was there, so… Oh my…" Faye covered her mouth, shakily breathing as she closed her watery eyes. It was a while before her breaths became steady as tears streamed down her cheeks, and when she did, she lowered her hand and said as stable as she could, "He killed her… That's all there is to it. He killed her." Yami shook her head and brought her arms to her sides,

"There must have been some reason Natasha's mother did not die in the false reality. Perhaps in time we will learn the truth behind the tragedy." Silence followed. Not a word was uttered as they each averted the other's gaze in the darkness of Faye's subconscious. Seconds; moments crept by as if time had then decided to crawl since it could not catch the moment at hand. Time was frozen, if not for a brief period, in that space within the mind of a youth that was trapped in a prison of her own words and deception from others.

"What torment…must one endure for a hopeful wish that should have never come to be…and the burden of lies upon one's heart?" Faye muttered as she stared at the floor. Though as much as she tried, she could not remember where she has heard it from. The memory seemed so distant and out of reach. As she strained to recall who had spoken the phrase, the floor became gray and cracked, almost like the rooftop of a building that had been hit by an earthquake.

"Behold," uttered Yami, standing on the same surface, "the world of the false reality." She then pointed down below, Faye's eyes following, to herself, before the Klaww Gang did away with her, walking along the cracked and broken street of a town somewhere in the world. It was as if an earthquake of great magnitude had nearly shaken it to mere rubble. Ominous clouds hung in the night sky as she walked down the once bustling, but now desolate avenue. Lampposts were not on the sidewalk, but instead bent and scattered about and some were even inside the houses. Mailboxes, cars, streetlights, street signs, and trees were also askew. The Yami below gazed at her surroundings, the images of laughing children and good people who had once resided there fading into view around her briefly before sinking back into the hereafter.

"This massive destruction had been my fault," Yami said beside Faye, "If it had not been for me, everyone would have still been there. It was not my world to deal in, but thanks to the "K-Lawws" it was. They had taken away my memories just for their own gain and no matter how much I tried, I could not get them back." The scene shifted to the same room where the alternate younger Faye had been thrown inside a capsule to age her three years. In fact, the capsule was still there and the Contessa was working at a console, pressing various buttons.

"Remember this?" asked Yami as she and Faye floated in the rafters. The capsule below them opened, steam pouring out as an older Faye stumbled out, holding her head. Neyla stood before her, scythe in hand, as the teen held the door of the capsule to keep herself up.

"Come Faye," said Neyla, extending the scythe, "Bringer of Death, I endow you with this scythe to carry out the will of justice." The alternate Faye peered the traitorous tigress in the eye and, without a word, took the scythe. Yami solemnly spoke again as the scene faded out into nothingness, just where they had started,

"And with that, I became the emissary of death, unknowingly kicking the cogs of Fate into high gear." She shook her head and lowered it, "How I wished I could have turned back time, even for an instant, to stop this mess. I could have stopped myself from insulting the Klaww Gang and escaping to help Sly and his gang… But they were gone… All gone. The only one left was Bentley." She lifted her head and connected her gaze with Faye's, "And he was willing to help salvage the last remains of that world to save it… With my help. At the time, I wished with my heart that I could have been him…or at the very least dead…" Yami looked away for a moment as she continued, "But then I wound up here after my latter desire came to be… Who knows if it was Fate…? Or destiny. But I was given a second chance to assist in saving Sly's world. A world that was just as real as my home world that was wiped from my memory." Faye bit her lower lip, trying to take everything in.

"Just as real…" she murmured.

"That's right," Yami added, "If you make a joke, they will laugh. If you tell them a tragic tale, they will cry. If you cut them, they will bleed. And if you befriend them, they will love you." Faye struggled to grasp everything that had just been handed to her.

"It's real…" she said to herself, "It's real… It's real…" She continually repeated those words to herself, as if to reaffirm the reality she had found herself in. "The worlds we see in books, movies, and games… Is it possible…that…they're real…?" From that one inquiry, a thousand more sprang up without an answer. Instead of fading, however, each gave way for a hundred more without end, filling her mind with an endless abyss of questions. Her head started to ache, but the inquisitions would neither leave nor fade, but instead increased in intensity. Faye held her head and fell to her knees, unable to stand the pressure any longer. Finally, under the burden of her unrelenting mind, she screamed out the words echoing within,

"Why was I sent here? Why is it so different from our world? Why did Natasha's mother die? Why did the Klaww Gang choose me? Why does it have to be this way?" Faye took a few breaths, put her hands to her sides, and calmly said the rest of what was on her mind in rhythmic manner to keep her breath steady; "Do they care? …Does the Cooper Gang trust me? Do they accept me? What am I supposed to do? Should I stay with them, or try to stop the Klaww Gang before things get out of hand?" As she muttered other inquiries from her mind, time seemed to be nonexistent. So many questions issued forth, like a floodgate had been opened after a thousand years' worth of rainfall. They were innumerable and never ending as Yami gazed upon her, sitting down as well and listening to every word from the youth's mouth.

Finally, just as her questions halted, time seemed to be on the move yet again. Faye's head throbbed as she held it. Never had so much information filled her mind at once.

"Will that be all?" Yami asked, getting to her feet. With a slightly weary mind, Faye said,

"I… I think so. Just…no more questions, please." Yami's mouth opened to speak, but no sound came forth. Faye closed her eyes for a while to rest, and did not notice that, in her weary state of mind, the darkness of sleep took over, leaving Yami to ponder the words Faye had released.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

As she came to, Bentley's voice was the first to reach Faye's ears,

"Almost got it. Oh, you're awake." Sly, Natasha, and Bentley, all at the table with Murray, looked at her as she rose. She stretched her arms, feeling her right shoulder pop, and walked over near Natasha, who was wrapped in Bentley's blanket with Josie in her lap.

"So what'd I miss?" Faye asked, trying to get her disoriented mind back on track.

"Well," began Bentley, "The weather has lightened, I have collected the blueprints from Rajan, and we are about to start the slide show." Faye smiled gently, though her head was still throbbing, and said,

"Let's get started then." She sat down as Bentley typed away on his laptop and said as multiple images came on the rock wall,

"I've got some bad news… Rajan has gone into hiding somewhere in the temple. I guess the destruction of his satellite array, Faye and Natasha's destruction of the Spice Grinder, and my invasion of his personal space to get the blueprints spooked him. To get his portion of the Clockwerk heart, we'll have to drive him out into the open. Given Rajan's spice idled temper, I recommend making him angry. First, Sly will meet with Neyla near the north-western waterfall. She seems to know some information that, if she is true to form, will surely aid us in our endeavors to tick off our egotistic "friend." Since spice production has halted, we'll then demolish the dam above the temple in an attempt to flood him out. If that doesn't work, I've made arrangements to exchange one of the temple's florid rubies for some high explosions, which, if necessary, we can use to flood the whole temple grotto. If my psychological profile is accurate, Rajan should pick up the other half of the Clockwerk heart before making his escape. Effectively bringing it to us."

With the briefing over, Sly got up and stretched as Murray, Bentley, and Natasha stayed seated. Faye gazed at the wall for a few seconds, even though no more images were being produced on it, before directing her gaze to the ground, not a sign of glee upon her face, but instead a sense of seriousness and wonder. Natasha was the first to witness her expression.

"Faye?" she inquired with a slight tone of worry. The Cooper Gang directed their attention to the disarrayed adolescent. Sly, who had neared the entrance, slowly ambled over, putting his left hand on Faye's right shoulder.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked sincerely. Sorting out the multitude of inquiries in her mind, Faye held her head with her right hand, avoiding Sly's gaze, and slightly groaned,

"Uh…" she shook her head tried to ignore her headache as she continued, "I just have a lot on my mind. I'll be okay after we kick Rajan's butt," she clinched her teeth in pain and let her hand drop, revealing a small smile that slowly grew, "get the Clockwerk heart, and get some of that Indian food we got a whiff of getting out of the van." Murray promptly began drooling all over the table, nearly drowning Bentley's laptop.

"Oh!" Natasha said as Bentley picked up his barely surviving laptop, "I got the clues you wanted, Bentley." She reached into her pockets and pulled out about a dozen or so crumpled scraps of paper with all sorts of numbers and letters on them. "I'm sorry I couldn't get them all." Bentley took the papers and began flattening each one out.

"That's quite all right," he said, "The important thing is that you returned safely from your mission." Natasha lowered her head a bit,

"Well, if Faye hadn't come to the rescue, there's no telling what may have happened." Faye turned her attention to the gang, lowered her stare to the table, sighed, and said slowly, as if to believe the words in whole,

"Sly, Bentley, Murray," she lifted her head with a genuine smile, holding back tears that threatened to fall, "Thanks for trusting me." The emotions reflecting in her orbs must have shocked the trio more than her statement fore it was a moment after Faye had gazed upon them, taking them aback, when Sly spoke first,

"You've earned it."

"'The Murray' agrees!" Murray blurted out in his heroic voice, "To put the needs of others before yourself is a true sign that we may endow you with our trust!" Natasha slightly chuckled at Murray's enthusiasm as Bentley nodded,

"I agree. Your choices have been risky, but they have helped us considerably."

"There's no telling what we would do without you," Natasha said jovially.

"They'll never know just how much it means to me," Faye thought as she continued to smile, tears streaming down her cheeks and new confidence gradually beginning to stir inside her. She lowered her head slightly and muttered quietly and sincerely,

"Thank you." Sly gently smiled as a speechless moment fell upon the five in the safe house. Only rainfall could reach their ears and the occasional roar of thunder far off in the distance.

Not too long after, Bentley cleared his throat and said,

"Well, we'd better get a move on. The weather has lightened up and Rajan still has possession of the Clockwerk heart." Faye nodded and rose from her seat, kneeling down near her possessions she had taken off earlier. She grabbed one glove and slipped it over her left hand, making sure the glove was on snuggly, and put on the other just the same. She put her socks on, now dry, and her shoes, still damp within, and carefully put on her mask, picking the binocucom last and sliding it in her thigh pack. Standing up, she grabbed her cane and turned to the Cooper Gang, a daring smile across her face.

"Let's go kick some tail!" she said boldly.

'Man that's lame.'

"Yeah!" Natasha cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"Well then," said Sly, peering at Faye, "if we're all in agreement, then we should get going." Faye nodded with a smile and trailed after him out the door just as Rajan's voice bellowed over the speaker from Bentley's laptop,

"Do you think I'm a fool? That is nonsense!" Faye slowed down, interested in what he had to say, "Now get out of my office before I rip your limbs off," Murray put his hands over Natasha's ears and she did the same for Josie as Rajan continued, "feed them to the cobras, and throw the rest of you in the river!" Rajan roared tremendously, leaving the room silent as nothing else came over it. Faye blinked as Sly motioned his head towards the door. She promptly followed him outside, shutting the door behind them, as they made their way to the north-western waterfall. Yami spoke not a word to Faye so she could concentrate on dodging the guards and getting to the Sly icon marked "Neyla's Secret." Sly and Faye crept past the semi-circle of stones and several monkey and rhino guards to their destination. As the two reached the icon, Neyla gracefully jumped down from a branch above, whip in her right hand, and landed on the ground on both feet. She turned around and said casually,

"Cooper and Faytin, we meet again."

"Constable Neyla," said Sly as if they were old friends, "Thanks for not ratting us out at the ball."

'The other Klaww Gang members would have hunted me down.'

"Oh I should be thanking you," she put her left hand on her hip, "the look on Carmelita's face was priceless." Faye's left eye barely twitched as the thought of a flamethrower aimed at Neyla entered her mind. Sly crossed his arms and said,

"She took it hard huh?"

'Duh, she loves you.'

"No one likes to have their affections played with," Neyla glanced at Faye, "Right, Faytin?"

"Right," said Faye, a tint of maliciousness reflecting in her eyes as she resisted an acid tone. Sly chimed in,

"I know I certainly don't," he uncrossed his arms and eyed the tigress sincerely, "Look Neyla, as soon as this India job is over why don't you and I go out on the town? We'll dance through Bollywood and eat curry all night long." Faye mentally gagged, wanting to strangle the tigress on the spot.

'Don't be so romantic to that sack of scum…'

"I'll keep it in mind…but first the task at hand. I've learned of a secret entrance leading to half of the Clockwerk Heart. Legally I can't enter the premises without a warrant…but now a couple thieves like you…" She crossed her arms as Sly finished,

"Thieves like us can go wherever they please. I read you."

'So did I in the boardroom that scandalous, traitorous…'

"Don't fall behind while I lead you to the entrance. This place is thick with guards and standing still can be lethal." Sly nodded,

"I hear that sister." The moment he finished, Neyla took off and the duo took chase. Immediately, Neyla took out a primate with her whip as she sprinted, yellow sparks flying from her weapon and leaving a trail to follow. Faye kept behind Sly as he caught up with Neyla down the road where she knocked out a rhino. They raced over vines, wooden bridges, and the tops of buildings in an awkward pattern to the top of the temple. All the while Neyla took out any guard, from goats to rhinos, all the way to the secret entrance and often left Sly and Faye to deal with a guard who had heard, but not seen, Neyla as they dashed through the temple ruins. When they came to the lily pads, Faye knew they were almost done, but her side was hurting and she began to slow down. She ended up stopping on a lily pad for a moment and carefully leapt from one to another. Meanwhile, Sly and Neyla got ahead of her and by the time she was on the other side of the pond, they were almost there. Faye began to run again, trying to ignore the pain, and made it across the gaps in the walkway just in time to here Sly say,

"There you are." Faye halted in her tracks and propping herself up by putting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

'I forgot how much that hurt.'

"You don't exercise enough," Yami commented.

"Shut…up… Stupid stairs…" Faye thought as she focused her sights on Neyla, the one who had branded her with the cursed mark of the Klaww Gang.

"This is it," said Neyla, referring to a keypad in the wall next to an off-color rock, "And remember, if push comes to shove I never showed you this door…We're on for that date in Bollywood…and…" Faye glared at Neyla, catching one another eyes, as Sly said,

"And?…" Faye gripped her cane, knowing the tigress was up to something as she peered at Sly.

"You must know…there's a traitor in your midst," Neyla stated, acid on the last of her words.

"What?" Sly asked, his ears perking up. Faye's muscles tensed; she knew what was coming. She did not have time to think of something that could make Sly continue to trust her as Neyla spoke,

"Faye is a member of the Klaww Gang." Faye's heart skipped a beat and tears unwillingly welled up in her eyes. Sly turned his head towards her with shock and disbelief written on his face.

"Faye…" he uttered in uncertainty. Said teenager kept her fists as her sides, reframing herself from acting out as best she could. Neyla immediately cut in,

"She's been spying on you; planning your downfall," As tears threatened to fall, it became difficult to restrain herself and barely a half second after Neyla spoke, Faye snapped.

"Liar!" she abruptly blurted with a growl, pouncing at Neyla without another thought. She sent Neyla to the ground, but that changed in an instant when Neyla's feet pressed against her stomach and sent her flying forwards over the constable's head into the stone wall, though not before catching her makeshift dressing on her forearm with two claws. Faye's shoulder hit the rough surface first and she landed with an "oof," not really noticing the cloth was gone. She got to her feet and charged at the witch with her cane. Lightning lit up the sky as she shouted out a battle cry from the depths of her lungs. Her gaze focused only upon the traitor; hatred glowing in her eyes. In the illumination of the lightning as it began to fade, a slender silhouette appeared before her eyes. The next thing Faye knew, she was doubled over in pain while standing there, a cylinder-like object pressed against her stomach. Trying to catch her breath, Faye peered up and her eyes bulged and tears streamed down her cheeks. Sly Cooper had halted her attack and his cane was still against her abdomen.

"Sly…" she said breathlessly. His oaken orbs peered at her through the darkness reflecting shame, distrust, and discouragement at her actions. Faye backed away from the two, standing up straight and wondering what to do. It was as if the three were on different sides; Sly and Neyla against Faye. Each stood there, though only two were shocked at what had just transpired. As time passed, Neyla interrupted the extended moment,

"…I must be going. I have a job to do after all." With that, she leapt into the air and slipped through a hole in the surface where the bricks of the temple had crumbled, leaving Sly and Faye to face one another in the torrent. The teen's heart was bruised once more and looking at Sly made it worse. Thoughts of her situation clouded Faye's mind, worsening by the second.

"Faye…" Sly began uncertainly, but she interrupted in a shaky and broken voice,

"Sly…you should decide…who you should trust," hot tears came forth as she continued, "…Do what you must. I'm out of here." Faye turned and ran, jumping to the ground below.

"Faye…" Sly muttered to himself in disbelief as he somewhat outstretched his empty hand. He shook his head and watched as she dashed off into the blackness of the night, leaving the stunned thievius raccoonus to ponder and wonder about the truth about the would-be thief and what-if friend.

Natasha: Wahh! (sniff) Why doesn't anybody believe Faye? (sniff; looks around) Hey…what happened to SmashQueen and Faye?

Josie: Purr… (tilts head) Mew?

Natasha: (sniff) I think they did run off a while ago.

Josie: Meow? (tilts head up)

Natasha: Hmm? (takes scrap of paper from Josie's collar; stops crying) …It's a note from SmashQueen. "To Natasha, Faye and I went to go over the second-to-last boss battle for Sly as a Cooper. It's been sort of a goal for some time now to get to that point. The chapter title has even been decided and the event is sure to please almost everyone, especially Faye. Please take over for a while with Trinity while I go over some notes and get some things out of the way. See you later. Signed, SmashQueen. P.S. Please tell Rexus to stop loitering around in the maze underneath the parking lot between and during chapters. It's getting frustrating trying to find him in the sublevels." (blink) …Ironic. (turns paper over) "Notes: Faye's battle cry was like that from Dragonball Z when the Z fighters charged at an enemy. Please forgive the ending. I needed the chapter up and had to wrap it up." …Huh. Now, did I forget anything?

Josie: Merrrrrow?

Natasha: Oh yeah! Thanks for reading! Review if you have time and…um…

Josie: Meow.

Natasha: What she said. Until next time! May the light of the moon lead the way to the master thief!