A/N: Think I'll try this too. Seems like a more organized way to make sure I respond to my lovely reviewers. I'll do this from now on so I can ensure my gratitude is expressed to you all.

First Guest: I'm pretty sure this was you though cheesebread222, since I'm accustomed to the way you review, and always look forward to yours as well. Ah yes, thank you, I took it out. No trace of his original story, just the new one now. Yep, this is coming to a close, but perhaps I've got another surprise or two up my sleeve? Hehe.

To my second guest reviewer: Wow, thank you! I'm happy to know that you like it so much. And I appreciate you taking time to review. No one's 'craved' my work before, so that's a great feeling for me. :)

Cheesyteal'c: Thank you so much. I'm honestly flattered that you feel that way. I've been trying my hardest to make this story enjoyable for others, so I'm so glad I could do that for you. :) I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Trick Cooper: Oh my gosh, your favorite? Well I'm flattered and honored. Thank you kindly. Like I've said before, I never expected people to like my work, so I'm still stunned by the positive feedback. And of course I appreciate it. Thanks for keeping up with my little fanfic. And it was just as exciting to be able to talk with you! :) I look forward to any fics that you might post and chatting with you more in the future.

BananaB0mb: I always love reading your reviews, they're so detailed in telling what you like. Thank you as always. I'm glad it was a boss battle you could enjoy reading about! Have to balance that fluff out with a little action here and there. Yes, interesting prediction, although as I said, some may not put it past me, hehe.

Sasuninja13: THANKS! Haha, I'm glad you liked!

Fanwriter9: Glad to know it was exciting for you! Well, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.

Ninjaxsketcheartx: Hehe yep! Nothing is as epic as the whole gang working together to take down a mighty foe! And as far as the baby question, you're about to find out! :)

Now then, if you got through my obnoxiously large author's note, you can has cookie, and can has new chapter.

Chapter 23 Unto Us a Kit is Born

As the group neared the car, Sly began to fire off orders to his gang like a lieutenant in his panicked state, sprinting with Murray as they held Carmelita.

"Dimitri, I'm going to need you to let Murray drive, because we're in a huge hurry right now and I trust him to get us where we need to go faster."

Dimitri sighed, but nodded and tossed his keys to the hippo without question; he knew better than to argue with his team leader right now. "You finally get to take that spin now, main man Murray," the iguana said.

Murray smiled and gave a nod. Once Sly was sitting in the back, the robust hippo helped ease Carmelita onto his lap before he hopped into the driver's seat.

"Bentley," the raccoon continued. "I'm well aware that I'll have to fill out forms when I get there so I need you to alter some records so we don't raise any flags that would call for a background check. You'll have to create some new files in the database for me and Carm and give us some fake names. I doubt they'd let a master thief just walk into a public place like a hospital, even if his wife is having a baby. By the way, you can alter the birth certificate and all that later, right?"

Bentley looked at him hesitantly. "Well of course, but…shouldn't the rest of us have false records as well? Just to be on the safe side?"

"Sure," Sly answered briskly. "I'm the one they'll be looking over the most. Carm may not need it, but I'm concerned that Interpol has caught wind of her running around with us. So, us two are your main priority, but if you're worried about you and everyone else, feel free work your tech magic on your own 'records' too. And then I'll need you to pull up your GPS and give Murray directions to the closest hospital while you're creating false records."

Bentley nodded. "You got it."

"I'll help you with that," Penelope offered as she and Bentley went over to the other side of the car. "You just focus on getting us there, Bent."

"Thanks," he said. He was approaching the front door on the passenger side when Dimitri ran up and grabbed the door handle. "Hey turtle dude, mind if I snag front seat?" The two of them heard Carmelita groan as she struggled to breathe, and the iguana cringed. "This junk is freakin' me out for reals."

Bentley snorted at Dimitri's lack of sympathy. "Sure, I'll sit in back with Penelope."

Penelope flung the door open and slid in next to Sly and Carmelita, giving Bentley the window seat. She lifted Carmelita's legs off the seat so she could sit and placed them over her lap.

"And Tabby," Sly said, looking up to the warthog who had helped save his family today. He smiled and pressed two fingers to his forehead and swiftly pushed them to point straight ahead in a salute. "I hope you'll follow us there."

She stood there speechless at first, her lips parted. Then a grin broke out on her face and she nodded. "Sure. See you guys there."

With everyone inside, Murray started the car and hit the gas. The tires screeched as he sped off down the dirt road nearby, with Tabby trailing not too far behind.

As he sat with Penelope and conjured up false information for everyone's new identification records, Bentley tapped furiously on his laptop. "Ok, I located the nearest hospital, approximately ten miles from here. Murray, stay on this road and make the third left up ahead."

Murray nodded and gripped the wheeled as he weaved through light traffic that scattered the highway he turned onto.

Sly jumped slightly as Carmelita's sharp scream hit his ears. Feeling extreme sympathy for her, he held her close and cradled her head against him, and she buried her face in his chest. She tried her hardest to hold back her screams of pain for the sake of everyone in the vehicle with her. But the intensity increased with each new contraction. Her screams were mostly muffled against his body, though still caused his ears to flatten at hearing her suffer.

He smoothed her hair out repeatedly as he spoke to her. "I'm sorry Carmelita," he murmured in an apologetic tone. "So sorry. Sorry for thieving behind your back, sorry that monster attacked you and nearly killed you, sorry for all the stress and trouble I've put you through these past several months. And I'm sorry that you're in so much pain right now. But it'll all be over soon, I promise. Please forgive me for everything you've had to go through because of me."

She groaned and looked up at him, trying to endure the intense pain. "I'll forgive you," she said through gritted teeth, "if you just get me to a doctor and shoot me up with drugs!"

Sly smiled faintly and shook his head. "That all I gotta do to earn your forgiveness?"

She didn't answer as she gripped the edge of the seat and returned to panting in shallow gasps.

Penelope worked away on her forging task, as Bentley guided Murray through the more crowded streets of Catania. The expert wheelman drove the group through the picturesque Italian city at a decent speed, but by request of an anxious raccoon, he accelerated further, and they all watched the buildings zoom by in a blur.

They were well on their way and nearly reached the hospital without trouble, that is, until all their ears picked up on the wailing of sirens behind them that grew louder by the second.

Sly looked out the windshield and cursed under his breath as he saw a few Polizia Municipale, Italian traffic control officers, round a corner and begin to follow them.

Murray groaned. "Not these guys," he muttered.

"Don't stop!" Sly ordered. "We can't slow down now, we gotta get a move on. Floor it Murray!"

Murray nodded and slammed his foot on the pedal. "Hang on you guys," he said.

Carmelita gripped Sly's shirt tightly and clung to him. This day just got better and better for her and the gang.

Everyone braced themselves as Murray sped through the busy streets, the Italian traffic control officers expertly tailing them, their sirens blaring as they gained on the speeding culprits.

Bentley yelled directions from the back seat, and Murray steered accordingly, all the while evading the officers during the unplanned chase.

Two traffic control cars flanked the wildly colored sports car, and Murray gave a whole new meaning to the term 'putting the pedal to the metal'. He rocketed through the narrow streets, and the car chase proceeded at blinding speeds.

"Left! Now!" Bentley shouted.

Murray gripped the wheel and turned it hard, and everyone was slung to one side from the sudden maneuver. They approached an intersection, and were greeted by a few more Polizia coming from the opposite direction.

"Right!"

Murray flared his nostrils and veered to the right. He hoped Tabby would be able to keep up with his frenzied driving.

Carmelita clung to Sly for dear life, and everyone else gripped their seats as Murray swerved violently to avoid the cops, the loud sirens blocking out any other sounds completely.

"Speed up! They're getting closer!" Penelope shrieked as she peered out the back windshield.

"Murray take that back road right there, you gotta lose these guys!" Bentley yelled.

"El dolor, hacer que se detenga!" Carmelita wailed in Spanish. ("The pain, make it stop!")

The officers inched even closer to the car, closing the gap as the group of them crowded together on a bridge. They were attempting to slowly box the sports car in and trap it but Murray picked up on their strategy as the cars began to surround him, and he flew out of a small gap between two Italian police cars, nearly ramming into the fender of one, and continued on.

"Right there! Up ahead!"

When they reached the other side of the bridge and at last came up on the hospital's entrance, Murray swerved into the parking lot and swung into the first parking spot he saw. The group of police cars swarmed the sports car like bees to a honeycomb, the sirens blaring loudly and the lights flashing as the two officers stepped out of their cars. A bobcat and ocelot marched right up, preparing to reprimand the hippo driver as to why he was speeding and refused to pull over immediately, but as soon as they took notice of the raccoon step out of the car, carrying the heavily pregnant fox in his arms bridal style, their expressions melted from infuriated to concerned.

She grunted and feebly wrapped her arms around his neck. Luckily the contraction was over, but she knew it wouldn't be long before another would throw her into agony again.

As the others joined him where he stood on the pavement, Sly looked up to the officers, knowing that, just like the time he and his gang had been worn down after defeating Clock-La, none of them were in any shape for a fast getaway right now. There was no way for the suave thief to sweet talk his way out of a situation like this. He secured his hold on Carmelita and gave the officers a sincerely apologetic look. "I'm sorry, we're kind of in a hurry," he said.

The officers nodded in understanding. They were now aware that these guys had a good reason to speed.

The bobcat cleared his throat. "We'll let you off with a warning," he stated, his accent very present when he spoke. He looked to the hippo. "Just, next time, go the speed limit."

Murray nodded. "Yes sir."

The ocelot looked down at the vixen and then looked up to Sly with a smile. "First baby?"

"Yea," Sly answered breathlessly, as Murray rushed over and returned to assist Sly in carrying her again.

The cat officers smiled, and the ocelot put a hand on the Sly's shoulder. "Well, good luck then son. Take care of this poor momma." He glanced down at Carmelita compassionately as she hid her face from the officers with a light groan.

Sly nodded and flashed a polite smile. "Thank you sir. I will."

With that, everyone dispersed, the two felines relaying the urgency of their situation as a legitimate reason for their speeding to the other officers, and Sly and the gang quickly heading into the hospital. The friends dashed across the large waiting room and ran up to the front desk.

"Ma'am!" Sly said to the ferret receptionist. "My wife's in labor!"

The beige ferret lowered her glasses and peeked up over them as she acknowledged him with a baffled expression. "Che cosa?" she questioned after a moment. ("What?")

Sly's eyes widened. "Do…do you speak English?"

The puzzled expression on her features deepened as she looked up at him hesitantly. "Uhhhh…no? Non capisco…mi dispiace." ("I don't understand…I'm sorry.")

If he'd had a free hand to do so at that moment, Sly would have slapped his own forehead in frustration. Instead he glanced around to the other nurses passing by. "Does anyone here speak English?" he called out.

Some of the staff members clad in scrubs gave him confused looks and cocked their heads. Well that answered his question.

"¿Porqué yo?" Carmelita muttered into Sly's chest. ("Why me?")

Penelope, Bentley, and Murray all looked to one another, shrugging sheepishly. As much as they had traveled, none of them knew basic Italian terms aside from sì and no, much less speak the language fluently enough to ask questions. Dimitri could barely speak English to begin with, so of course he couldn't help.

Tabby didn't waste any time as she rushed up to the group of nurses and stopped them before they left. "Mi scusi!" she said in a commanding tone, grabbing their attention at once, and she gestured to Carmelita with both hands. "Non vedete che questa donna è in travaglio? Ella bisogno di cure mediche in questo momento! Ella bisogno di essere portato a una sala parto. Informare il medico di segnalare a questo abbiamo bisogno di una squadra che parla inglese." She snapped her fingers. "Immediatamente!"

The staff members nodded as soon as they heard the warthog's command. "Sì signora, subito!" the male lemur nurse said, running around the corner to inform his superiors of the situation. ("Yes ma'am, right away!")

Tabby sighed and pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. She then looked at the others. They were all gawking at her in shock. Her brow furrowed. "What?" she asked.

"What did you say to them?" Sly asked in amazement.

"I just said that Carmelita's in labor and needs a team of English speaking nurses and a doctor, and needs to be taken to a birthing room, right now," she answered casually.

They all continued to stare at her, stunned speechless.

The furrowing of her brow deepened. "Guys, did you forget that I'm a native? I grew up in Taormina, of course I speak Italian."

As that set in, they all nodded. "That…does make sense, all things considered," Bentley admitted.

She grinned and shook her head. With a shrug of her shoulders, she replied, "Well, you know, when in Italy...or Catania, to be more specific."

Her remark was met with a chorus of laughter that rang out from everyone in their little group, with Carmelita even joining in as well.

Soon after a new team of nurses came and helped Carmelita into a wheelchair. As they situated her, she looked back at the tech-savvy turtle. "Hey Bentley," she called in a weak voice.

He looked up at her. "Yea Carmelita?"

It took a moment for her to answer in her shaky state. She finally managed to smile at him. "I only wish they could whisk me away in a chair as cool as yours."

For the very first time, Bentley smiled at Carmelita, a warm genuine smile, and a gentle chuckle sounded from his lips. "It is a one of a kind original," he said, glancing down at his wheelchair. "Not another in existence like it."

The weary vixen winked at him. "Just like you," she said.

In that short moment, Carmelita and Bentley had bonded. It's true what they say: life changing events really bring others together, sometimes in ways they'd never imagine.

The nurses transported her down the hall. Before they rounded the corner with her, she looked over her shoulder to see Sly watching her from the front desk as he received a small stack of forms. "I'll be right there," he called to her before she disappeared from view.

Sly sat down in the waiting room with his friends and used the information Bentley and Penelope had fabricated to fill out the necessary forms, straight from what they'd just electronically posted in the database. The techy duo had done a splendid job at making their files look authentic.

Penelope squealed as she sat down in one of the several empty chairs. "Oh guys! It's really happening!"

Murray smiled as Tabby gripped his hand. "You ready to be an uncle of sorts?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered proudly. "'The Murray' is always up to the challenge. And he'll be the most awesome uncle ever."

Tabby chortled and interlaced her fingers with his.

"Next to me of course," Bentley spoke up, a smug smile on his face as he crossed his arms.

The hippo grinned. "Yea yea."

"I just hope our pal's ready to tackle parenthood," Bentley said as Sly finished jotting things down on the last form. He smiled up at the turtle. "I can't wait," he said. He hopped up and delivered the papers to the ferret, who was now accompanied at the desk by an English-speaking red squirrel. "Thank you sir," the squirrel said. "Let us make sure all your information checks out, and once we've done that, you're good to go."

Sly and the others waited nervously in silence, hoping that their secret plan to slip under the radar would be carried out without a hitch. And soon enough, the squirrel spoke up. "Sylvester Cooney?" she called.

Sly smirked at hearing the name he would temporarily be addressed by; Bentley really didn't have much creativity when coming up with new identities. 'Sylvester' stood up and approached her.

"You're all set," she said in a cheerful voice. "Room 213. Follow that hall around to the right." She pointed in the direction the nurses had taken Carmelita. Sly thanked her and turned to see all his friends smiling at him. They all gave him a 'thumbs up', and he gave them one in return. "This is it," squealed Penelope, unable to contain her excitement. "You're gonna be a dad!"

He smiled nervously but proudly at the same time. "Yeah," he said. He took a deep breath and walked briskly down the hall, his stride slowly picking up to a jog as anticipation rose up within him. "Alright, here we go," he said to himself.

Throughout his life, Sly had gone by many different titles: orphan, lifelong friend, master thief, Ringtail, hero, Constable, lover, husband, and today, he would have a new title he could proudly add to that list.

Father.

Once he reached the door marked 213, he opened it to reveal a large room that had a cozy feeling of home about it, but he didn't take much notice of the surroundings. He was focused on Carmelita, who was dressed in a hospital gown and had been hooked up to an array of machines and monitors. She was sitting up in her bed, staring off into space as she rested her hands on her huge belly. Her ears flicked at his footsteps and she looked up to see him enter. He walked over to the side of her bed and leaned down to give her a warm kiss. "Hey beautiful," he crooned, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and caressing her face.

She smiled, but there was no denying the terrified look in her eyes. Sly walked over and stood by the chair on the other side of the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked her.

Her lips became a thin line as large tears formed in her eyes and silently fell down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and minutely shook her head. "Not good," she whimpered in a hoarse voice.

"Aw, baby..." Sly murmured. He removed his gloves and placed them on the side table nearby. He then leaned over and took her face in his hands, now able to feel the soft texture of her furred cheeks. He carefully wiped her tears of fear away as he continuously stroked her face to soothe her. "It's gonna be ok Carm," he whispered. "Everything's gonna be just fine. Nothing to worry about. Not Interpol, or De Luca and his thugs, or even crazy chimeras that get sucked into rubies." She laughed weakly at his statement before fear clouded her features again. He placed a hand on her stomach, his gaze never straying from hers. "All you have to worry about right now is having this kit, alright?"

She took a shaky deep breath and nodded. "I'm just…really scared. More scared right now than I've ever been in my entire life." She used her knuckles to wipe more tears away as they fell.

He smiled at her, crinkling his small black nose. "You? Scared? No way. C'mon, you're an ex-Inspector, one of the most formidable agents Interpol ever had the honor of having on the force. You've gone toe-to-toe with dangerous villains that other girls would never even dream of facing with only a shock pistol to aid them in their fight. And you say you're scared? Carm, there isn't a criminal out there that you couldn't just about catch with your bare hands."

She chuckled at his statement but then slowly shook her head. "You're wrong…there's one criminal that I could never catch."

"Oh not true," he crooned in the velvet voice that could make her melt. "You caught him alright, just not in the way you're thinking. He's your prisoner of love, and he's yours forever."

A smile formed on her quivering lips as more tears escaped her misty eyes, and she sniffled. "I love you Sly. So much. Thank you, for being here, sticking by me through all this, and loving me. You have no idea how happy it makes me."

"And you have no idea how happy you make me," he replied, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, being careful not to disrupt any wires or equipment as he did so. She rested her head against him, totally content to just lean against him like that all day, but a voice at the door reminded her of the importance of what was happening.

"Hello," a female greeted in a sing-song voice.

The couple looked up to see a chinchilla doctor step into the room. She appeared to be in her forties or so, not quite elderly, but not young either. "I'm Dr. Maggiano, but if you'd like to, you can call me Dr. M for short."

Sly and Carmelita exchanged glances of unease before the anxious vixen looked up at her and asked, "Would it be alright if we just call you by your full title, doctor?"

She gave an amused laugh as she walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well if you'd rather, yes," she answered. "How are we doing? Contractions getting closer?"

Carmelita shifted slightly on the bed. "I…think so, maybe?"

The chinchilla doctor nodded and took note of her readings on the monitors. "Last time I checked they were about five minutes apart. So we'll check your progress, but it shouldn't be much longer now if I had to make an estimate, within the hour perhaps."

At that, moment, Carmelita cried out and grabbed at the material of the bed cover beneath her, and her nails dug into the fine fabric. "Oh n-no, al…ready?" she said through straining to breathe. She leaned back against the thick pillow and moaned in anguish.

Sly immediately sat down beside her and took her hand, tenderly rubbing circles on top of it with his palm.

"Aggh it…OW! It hurts! IT HUURRTS!" she yelled as her breathing turned to gasping. "Can…can I please have the epidural?" she begged the chinchilla.

Dr. Maggiano scribbled on her clipboard and then patted her arm, pushing her sweat-matted hair off her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cooney, but you're too far along for that. At this point, introducing anesthesia into your system could harm the kit. It shouldn't be too much longer now though. In fact, why don't I check now and see if we're any closer?" She set her clipboard down and adjusted her face mask to cover her nose and mouth.

"Can't…do this!" Carmelita cried out.

Sly gently took her hair and pulled it all to one side and then gripped her shaking hand again. "Hold my hand Carm," he told her.

As she trembled from the excruciating contraction that seemed to crush her lower body like a vise, she squeezed his hand, and he rested his other hand on top of hers, a constant and comforting reminder that he was right there.

The remaining five stayed in the waiting room for what felt like hours, everyone wondering if everything would go smoothly or not. Well, almost everyone; Dimitri was a bit distracted, as he had left the group to go hit on a spotted lizard receptionist who was on break. She completely ignored his advances, but the slick iguana remained persistent in his efforts to capture her attention.

Penelope sat on the edge of her chair nervously. A few months prior, she and Bentley had done what they do best, and researched pregnancies that resulted from differing species; according to statistics and reports, there was always a moderate chance of mental or physical defects, even still births in severe cases. As all the negative effects and outcomes swarmed her mind, she bit her nails in her state of anxiety and stared at the fuzzy blue carpet.

"Penelope, what's the matter?" Bentley asked.

She looked up at her turtle soulmate with apprehension. "I'm…worried," she said. "It's been a long time and they haven't told us anything. What if something's wrong?"

Bentley patted her hand. "Don't worry, Penelope. I'm sure everything's fine. You can't think about the worrisome possibilities. Let's just wait before we result to borrowing trouble?"

She nodded, but still looked uneasy.

Bentley struck up conversation that others normally engage in when a baby is about to be born. "So do you guys think the baby will look like Sly, or Carmelita?"

Murray shrugged. "Didn't they tell us that it was a raccoon? I'm thinking it'll look just like Sly."

"Maybe it'll have blue hair like its mom," Tabby added with a smile.

Bentley nodded. "Very possible. I have to admit: the blue hair would look significantly comical on a boy though."

Murray snickered. "Totally. I gotta wonder which one the baby'll act like though..."

By that time, Penelope had relaxed a little as she pushed her blonde bangs out of her face. "I think he or she will be full of mischief, like Sly." The others laughed at the thought.

"That's a given," Bentley remarked.

"Maybe tiny Cooper will be a girl, and be feisty like Foxy," Dimitri jumped in as he returned to the group.

"Could be…" Bentley said thoughtfully. "Well Dimitri, did you hit it off with the lizard receptionist you were conversing with?" the turtle questioned.

Dimitri glanced over his shoulder at the spotted lizard and shrugged. "She sizzlin hot home slice, like cheesy macaroni, but she not really my style. She too caught up in herself."

"Oh well then you two would be very compatible," Bentley noted. "You both share a common trait of narcissism."

The others began giggling, though Dimitri didn't find the remark funny. He scratched the back of his head and relaxed into a chair near the others, crossing his legs. "Bentley bro, you can't be tossin all those crazy big words at me. Dimitri is not as freaky smart as you. You know dis, man."

Bentley snorted. "I apologize. I'll stick to simpler words from now on, daddy-o."

The iguana grinned at him. "Greasy sweet."

"You guys really think they're ok back there?" Penelope asked.

They were about to find out, as a nurse donning gloves stepped into the waiting room. She took one look at the group of five and her eyebrows rose over her eyes. She lifted a finger and pointed it at them. "Are you five with the Cooney family?"

They all nodded and waited for what she was about to say.

The sugar glider grinned. "Well, it's a boy!"

The gang members immediately cheered amongst each other in elation at the news. A boy. Sly and Carmelita had a son.

Penelope looked up to the nurse. "So, they're both ok? No problems?"

The sugar glider nodded. "Yep, they're both doing just fine. No problems. She did really well, everything went smoothly. He's a happy healthy little raccoon."

Penelope settled in her chair, relief sweeping over her. "Wonderful," she sighed.

"Oh that's great to hear," Bentley stated with a smile.

"Aw, a little boy," Tabby squealed.

"I got a nephew!" Murray shouted excitedly. Then his voice softened. "I mean, sorta."

"Oooh cool," was all Dimitri replied with.

She chortled at their responses. "We'll notify you when you can come see them."

They thanked her and she turned and walked off, disappearing behind one of the many doors down the hall.

Back in room 213, a female meerkat was handing an excited and exhausted Carmelita her newborn son, all wrapped up in a pale blue blanket. He had just been all cleaned up and examined. "There you are Momma," the meerkat said sweetly. "He's a real cutie."

Carmelita stared at the tiny raccoon, rather foxcoon that looked like he was fully raccoon, as he cried softly, and her eyes brimmed with fresh tears, now for a whole different reason. She couldn't believe he was finally here.

The tiny kit's fur was a rich russet brown, in the same color family as Carmelita's fur, only a few shades darker. A black mask surrounded his closed eyes, and a small brown and black ringed tail peeked out from under a fold of the blanket. He had a small tuft of head fur on top of his head. His ears looked exactly like his father's, only they were brown and had familiar black tips on the top half of them, just like a certain vixen's, and those black tips of his ears were folded over. His little black nose wiggled as he took his first breaths of air.

"H-he's…per-fect," Carmelita sniffled brokenly.

The nurse smiled and backed out as she closed the door gently behind her, leaving the family to have their moment alone.

Carmelita bounced the small kit in her arms and beamed down at her furry little angel. "So, you're the one who's been kicking me this whole time, huh?" she joked in a hushed voice. She then giggled weakly and leaned down to kiss his nose. "I don't mind at all," she whispered to him. She gently ran her fingers through his fine head fur, and his eyes began to open. She gasped faintly as she stared into his deep brown eyes. They were a mesmerizing combination of Sly's caramel eyes and her own chestnut ones. The newly created hue of brown was simply beautiful, and the golden flecks in his irises shimmered in the light.

"Hi," she said in a breathy voice as she smiled down at him with a look of deep adoration and love. "Hi my baby boy. Welcome to the world."

The kit only mewled quietly in response.

"He's so cute Carm," came Sly's voice in a broken gasp.

Carmelita slowly lifted her head to look over at him. Tears were falling from his eyes in a trickle as his lips trembled.

A knowing grin formed on her muzzle. "Sly Cooper…are you…crying?"

His head snapped up as he looked at her. "What?" He wiped at the stray tears with the back of his hand. "Me? No, no not at all."

She gave him an 'I know what I just saw' smirk.

He then looked down at his son and more tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over. "Maybe a little," he managed to say in that same broken voice.

At that moment, they both began laughing softly through their happy tears.

Despite being overpowered and shaken up by the pain she'd previously suffered, she sighed in contentment, knowing it was all worth it as she admired her newborn baby that she now cradled against her chest. She put a hand behind his head and lifted him up. "You wanna meet your daddy?" she cooed. "He's been wanting to meet you for a while now."

Sly chuckled as Carmelita carefully handed the little ball of fluff over to him and he cradled him against his chest as he looked down at him. "Hey little guy," he murmured lovingly. "It's about time you got here." He rested the kit's head securely in his palm and looked down at him, giving a smile of fatherly pride.

The newborn kit stared up at his father and slowly blinked, adjusting to the bright new environment.

Sly gently placed a finger on his nose. "Hi there. I'm your daddy."

The little foxcoon yawned and rubbed his face up against his dad's chest, and Sly laughed warmly. "Your mom and I love you so much little guy."

"That's right," Carmelita replied in a weary voice. "We do."

Sly slowly got out of his chair and she reached for him. Once their baby was securely in her arms again, Sly kissed the top of her head and smoothed her hair back. "Great job Carm," he said. "You did so good."

She was still beaming as she gazed up at him. "We did so good, Sly." She tucked the end of the blanket over the kit's small body. "We're finally a family."

"Yeah," he said in a whisper as he was still taking it in. "We are."

Soon the others were given the 'ok' to come and join the happy little trio. Penelope walked in first and when she caught sight of the baby, she cupped her hands over her mouth and began to cry. "Oh my gosh," she whispered. "He's so beautiful!"

Carmelita grinned at her. "Thanks chica."

Behind her came the others, all smiling brightly as they entered. Bentley wheeled over to join the proud father where he sat. "Congrats, pal," the turtle said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Sly smiled at his comrade. "Thanks Bent."

"Wow Sly, he looks just like you," Bentley stated with a grin.

The raccoon shrugged. "Yea, but he's got Carm's color, in a much darker shade anyway."

"Well he had to get something from me," Carmelita reasoned, eliciting a chuckle from her loving husband.

The foxcoon looked up in Penelope's direction and she smiled and clasped her hands together. "Awww, hey there, cutie," she cooed, waving at him.

Tabby smiled and wrapped her arms around Murray, resting her head against his chest. "He's adorable," she agreed.

Dimitri walked to Sly's other side. "Little dude is cute, Cracker-box."

Sly folded his arms across his chest and nodded at his iguana friend's compliment. "Thanks man." He then looked up at the warthog who was tightly hugging Murray. "Tabby," he spoke up.

She lifted her head and her tawny ears perked. "Yes?"

"I never did thank you for helping us defeat that guy. You risked your life to help us out today, and save Carm and our son. So, at the risk of sounding like a total sap, I wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart. You'll never know how much I appreciate it."

She grinned and wrapped her arms tighter around the pink hippo as he gently slipped his arms around her smaller frame. "It was nothin', don't mention it."

He nodded as his gaze turned to the others. "And thank you, all of you. If we hadn't teamed up together like that, we might've never been able to take him down."

"And you wanted to face him alone," Murray said in a teasing tone.

Light laughter filled the room.

Bentley pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well, as I said, we're a team. We stick together, expressions of gratitude are unnecessary. Looking out for our team leader and his family is simply what we do. We care about you, all three of you."

Carmelita beamed at his comforting statement. As she looked down at the kit she cuddled, and then looked to Sly and all the wonderful friends of his that had become her friends, family even, she knew she had finally come to a fascinating conclusion: there's a fine line between what you feel is right and what you may feel is wrong. And by a simple twist of fate, your steadfast views and the way you live life can be changed before you know it. With the help of great friends, and the one you love, showing you how to have a different perspective and getting you to take a few risks, you just might come to find that those unbreakable barriers you spent years forming could come crashing down effortlessly. And if you allow yourself to look at things differently, and come to understand that some things you may feel are wrong couldn't be more right for you, you could have a happily ever after that ends up being happier than you ever dreamed it could be.

Penelope gripped the bed railing, staring intently at the little kit. "So what's his name?" she asked.

Everyone looked up at Sly and Carmelita, and they looked at each other.

"Well," Carmelita began, "Sly and I discussed it, and, since he'll be a thief one day, we both decided that he should have a name that suits a thief, especially one following in the footsteps of a master thief like his dad...so…"

"So guys," Sly finished from there. "Say hello to Rascal Cooper."

A series of "awwww"s sounded from the gang members.

Rascal was slightly startled by the abrupt utterance of adoration, and he looked up at the strangers who possessed unfamiliar voices. He was accustomed to hearing the voices of his parents, but others…he wasn't too sure about yet. He whimpered and buried his face into Carmelita's chest, and she placed tiny kisses on the top of his head. He began to fall asleep to the rhythmic sound of her heartbeat, a sound that had been his lullaby for months.

"Looks like it's about time for us to head out," Bentley whispered.

He and the others silently walked out of the room to allow Rascal to sleep without disturbing him, waving to his vixen mother as they exited. Sly followed them out and stepped into the hallway with his gang.

"You guys can head back to the Safe House if you want. I've talked with the doctor, and they're letting me spend the night here. If everything checks out ok, we should be able to leave tomorrow. You guys can come back and pick us up then. Until then, just take it easy."

"I guess we'll be looking for you a carseat to take Rascal home in then?" Bentley asked.

It suddenly hit Sly that they didn't have one. He grinned and placed his hands on his reptilian friend's shoulders. "That'd be swell Bent," Sly said.

Penelope gasped and clasped her hands together. "Oh can we buy him a cute little outfit to leave the hospital in?" she asked.

Sly laughed at her enthusiasm. "Sure Penelope, pick out whatever you like." He looked to Murray, Tabby, and Dimitri. "I'll see you guys soon."

They all hugged him and said their goodbyes, and the group left.

Once they had all disappeared around the corner, Sly went back inside the room to see Carmelita falling asleep with an already sleeping Rascal, clinging to his mother, and he smiled at the sight. At last, he was able to take it easy and enjoy being with his little family, now that they were all out of harm's way. Though one final thing weighed heavy on his heart, but he wouldn't address it until he absolutely had to. Instead he sat back in his small armchair and relaxed with them.

Carmelita had heard him coming back in, and glanced at him drowsily. "They leave?" she asked.

He nodded. "They wanted to give you and Rascal some time to rest. You need it."

"Mmm," she assented with a small nod. She was in a state of pure contentment. "Can't really fathom how I could love someone so much," she said, referring to their sleeping kit.

"I feel the same," Sly said warmly. He shook his head. "I mean, wow…I just still can't believe it. We have a son, Carm."

She shot him a sideways glance. "Yea, you called our baby a boy so many times that you turned him into one," she joked.

He snickered. "Now Carm, you know it doesn't work that way."

She grinned and shrugged. "I'm still not totally convinced, but whatever."

He smirked at her. He then leaned down to smooth Rascal's ears back as he slept, and watched his tiny chest rise and fall as he took short breaths. Rascal smiled as he dreamed, and it made both his parents' hearts melt to see him smile for the very first time.

Carmelita looked up at Sly with a frown. "I've been trying to contact my parents for the past month now, no luck," she mumbled. "I think they've been avoiding talking with me." She bit her lip. "I guess they don't wanna see me, or their grandchild."

A troubled expression formed on Sly's face as he eased back into the chair. "I think they might still be upset about you running off and living with a gang of thieves."

She sighed. "I know, but I really hope they come to accept it one day, or they'll never get to see their only grandson."

Sly drummed his fingertips on the armrest uneasily and looked out the window of the room. "I doubt they'll ever accept me being with you Carm," he mumbled.

Her frown deepened as she rested her head against her pillow. After a few moments of thinking over the disappointing situation, she finally spoke up. "Well, so, even if he won't ever see his grandparents, we can be the best parents ever, and that will make up for it."

He smiled. "You bet. We'll give it our all."

She reached out and put a hand to his face. "And who cares about what my parents think? I love you and Rascal more than anything or anyone in the world, and that's all that should really matter."

He took her hand from his cheek and lifted it up to brush his lips over it, placing feathery kisses on it. "It does," he assured her.

She smiled up at him amorously. "I still wanna keep trying to get in touch with them though…"

Sly stood up. "Well, worry about that later. Right now you really just need to get some rest babe." He walked over to the window where the late afternoon sun shone through, and he drew the thick curtain, blocking the intense light. Then he returned to her side.

She looked up at him as she began to nod off. "Mkay. I love you Sly. Thank you, for everything."

He nuzzled her cheek. "And I love you Carmelita. Thank you for making us a family." He leaned down and placed a kiss on Rascal's wet nose. "And I love you, my little guy," he whispered.

Within moments, Carmelita was snoozing away, and as Sly got comfortable in the armchair, he tried to rest as well, but the thought of having to tell her about the death of her former friend began to trouble him. He knew it still just wasn't the right time, especially when she was so weak and fragile.

He'd tell her, but not right now. Right now, they were too tired to discuss serious matters. Far…far too tired. He yawned and curled up on the soft cushioned armchair, and was soon drifting off to sleep beside his beloved wife and newborn son, and happy thoughts replaced the troubling ones, as he began to dream about his future with his family of thieves.

Not quite through yet. Still have a few loose ends to tie up and another surprise perhaps, so I hope you'll stick around as I wrap this up.