A banging on the door the door breaks mom screams dad fights blood on the floor laughing eyes glowing yellow paralyzed beating of metal wings lava singing my fur never be rid of him tiger ally friend betrayer monster hatred immortal island lost fortune legacy burden curse hot sands hot sun lost in time no way back no way forward no way home no way home no way home no way home no way ho-

Sly opened his eyes, taking a sharp, quiet gasp. He began to lazily grasp the things around him: the sheets of the bed beneath him, the soft duvet covering his naked chest. He'd done this song and dance before, grounding himself in the here and now.

He turned his head to the left, and it always did the trick.

Carmelita's peaceful sleeping face, mere inches from his own, breathing softly in her sleep. Her raven hair draped like a curtain across her face.

And just like that, Sly Cooper was home again.

Sly did what he usually did upon waking up. He spent a few minutes staring at Carmelita's beautiful sleeping face, then gently extricated himself from the bed, being careful not to wake his wife.

He wobbled a bit as he stood on his feet, his old bones complaining about the sudden shift in weight. He reached over to his nightstand, where his cane was propped up.

Not his cane, as it had been passed on, as it always had. No, this was just a normal, everyday cane. A very well-made one, of fine material. Carmelita found it in a catalog at a great price.

But still, it was just an ordinary cane.

It did its job as Sly leaned his weight on it, supporting himself and lessening the strain on his bad leg. His leg didn't necessarily hurt these days; it just didn't appreciate Sly doing too much with it.

Since today was one of the few days off for the ever-busy Commissioner Fox-Cane, Sly figured he had a few hours to himself this morning while Carmelita slept in.

Hobbling his way down the steps of their two-story, three-bedroom condo, making a quick stop at the kitchen to prep a fresh pot of coffee, Sly made his way to his "office." A small room with little more than a single computer.

Sly sat down, wincing a bit as his leg complained again, and brought up the word document he had been working on, with a title header in bold and italics at the very top of the page:

Sam Caper and the Thieves' Tome

By Sylvester Cane

With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, Sly took a sip of the invigorating brew and let his fingers glide across the keyboard.

Stealing his own police file for Sam wasn't just about testing his skill or teasing the beautiful Carolina Vulpes; there was a practical reason for breaking into Interpol headquarters and ticking off one of their most decorated Inspectors. The police file in his hand detailed his life all the way back to childhood, when the criminal cartel known as the Vile Five broke into his home and slaughtered his family

Sly's fingers froze over the keyboard for a second. He took a deep breath and kept typing.

Meaning, the Vile Five were officially considered 'connected cases' to his own by Interpol, and the case file numbers for each of the Vile Five were all collected in this single file. With those file numbers, it would be a simple matter for Benjamin, the brains of their little outfit, to hack his way to whatever other information they might need on the Five.

Including, most importantly, where they were currently located.

Sly continued to type away at his story. It had only been a few weeks since he decided to chronicle his own life, a quasi-autobiography he had every intention of publishing. He didn't really know why he suddenly had this drive to put his life down on paper, but some part of him really just wanted to tell his story and get it out into the world.

Part of him wondered if he was just looking for validation from the common masses, a resounding confirmation that, regardless of whichever side of the law they were on, he and his friends fought the good fight. That what they did mattered.

Or maybe he was just monumentally bored.

It took the compromise of changing the names of all involved and pretending it was a work of fiction, but Sly eventually got Carmelita's blessing to go all in on this newfound passion project. She was wary of maintaining Sly's cover as Sylvester Cane, criminology consultant for Interpol, and a more-or-less confession of all of his criminal deeds might undermine that cover just a bit.

Speak of the spitfire, Sly's ears perked up as he listened to the creaking floorboards behind him. Carmelita, knowing full well that her husband was already aware of her presence, didn't bother to say a word as she slinked around Sly's chair and made herself comfy on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well, good morning to you too," Sly said, smiling warmly as Carmelita's very presence warmed him to his core. The two shared a kiss, both of them tasting the bitter hint of coffee on each other's lips.

"Morning, Ringtail... You weren't there when I woke up," Carmelita said, giving a mock pout.

"Felt like making some headway," Sly said, gesturing to the word document still on the computer screen.

Carmelita, curiosity getting the better of her, glanced over at the screen and gave a cursory read to a few paragraphs.

"'Bloating to gargantuan size'? Really?" She said, giving Sly a bit of side-eye.

"What? That's what Raleigh really said!" Sly defended. He didn't figure he would have to defend his writing in a work of nonfiction, even if everyone else in the world thought it was fiction.

Carmelita gave a small chuckle, reading the passage again. "Mi amor, this is where you use a little writing tool called 'creative liberties.'"

Sly shrugged, wrapping his own arms around Carmelita's waist. "Well, there's something to be said about the charm of an over-the-top villain."

Carmelita leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a sultry tone. "Hmm. And the charm of a femme fatale who constantly challenges the hero?"

"In all the best ways."

The two shared another kiss, the memories of all their escapades, all the flirty chit-chat, and moments of genuine connection, coalescing into that single moment of quiet tenderness between them. A usual reminder to Sly that retirement wasn't the end of the excitement and joy Carmelita could give him.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Sly asked, pulling away and brushing an errant lock of hair out of her face.

"I shot at you. Multiple times."

"The height of romance."

Their tender moment was interrupted a little when Sly's ears suddenly perked up at a noise coming from upstairs. Normally, it would have been so quiet, so imperceptible, that your average Joe probably wouldn't have caught it.

But Sly had been in the game long enough to develop a keen sense for these sorts of things: the barest whisper of a window opening, the slightest steps creaking the floorboards.

Whoever was breaking into their house was a skilled entryman, definitely a master of the trade.

But he was Sly Cooper.

And his wife was Carmelita Fox. One look between them communicated what they both already knew.

"Jace," they both said simultaneously.

--

Upstairs, Jace Cooper, or as far as legal documents were concerned, Jace Cane, gingerly opened the window to his old room. Even after he had moved out, his parents still kept the room exactly as he had left it for the occasions whenever he might visit and spend the night.

As soon as he had solid footing, he leaned over and pulled Fleur up from the fire escape just below his window, helping her over the threshold as she tried to match Jace's feather step. It was a song and dance the two of them had performed hundreds of times during childhood.

And, as per usual, they were caught almost immediately.

"You two do know you can just use the door?"

Fleur let out a yelp of surprise, gripping Jace by the arms to keep her from falling back out of the window. As Jace pulled her back up, he looked over to his door and saw his father leaning against the frame.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Jace said, giving his old man his usual toothy grin. After checking over Fleur and making sure she was on two solid feet, Jace went over to his Dad and buried himself into a big bear-hug from him.

"Happy to be home?" Sly asked, holding Jace close.

"Always."

"Jacito?" Carmelita called out, poking her head over Sly's shoulder. Her smile widened across her face as she saw her handsome little man. "Mijo, ven acá, déjame verte."

"Ay, Mamá, qué alegría verte. Ha pasado un tiempo," Jace said, disentangling from his father to let his mother fuss over him.

Carmelita's face screwed up in worry as she took a step back and took in her son, grabbing him by the wrist and raising his skinny arm. "Sé que tienes ese gen de Cooper tan esbelto, pero aún te ves demasiado delgado. ¿Has estado comiendo?"

Jace groaned. "Agh, Mamá, acabo de llegar a casa. De hecho, en ese tema-"

"And, of course, it's always good to see you too, Fleur. You know you're always welcome here," Carmelita said, interrupting Jace and flawlessly switching languages without missing a beat.

"Of course!" Fleur said, dusting herself off before accepting her own hug from Carmelita. "This place is practically a second home for me."

After Sly got his turn with Fleur, rounding out the hugs, he asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"So... How'd your first gig go?"

"A resounding success," Fleur said, more than a little prideful. "Mrs. Cooper, you can expect to find a 'care package' on your desk tomorrow with everything the local police will need to tear apart Gurretts' whole scam."

"And I'm sure my connections will be invaluable in making sure that evidence reaches proper channels," Carmelita sighed, having long since made peace with her 'unique' arrangement with the Cooper Gang and her position as Commissioner. No reason to change that arrangement with the New Cooper Gang. "I'll take care of everything from here. You kids did great."

"Are we all still engaging in domestic pleasantries or can I come in now?" A new voice called out from outside Jace's window.

"Who was that?" Carmelita asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, right, you guys haven't met him yet!" Jace exclaimed, smacking Fleur's arm as he made his way back to the window. "Fleur, help me pull him up."

It took both of them giving it some commendable effort, but Jace and Fleur were eventually successful in helping the third member of their crew scramble up inside the window.

"Next time, can we please use the door?" Horus asked, exasperated. "I feel like some teenager sneaking into his crush's room."

"Ooh, is that a proposition, Horus?" Jace asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Stop."

After a good chuckle at the poor tiger's expense, Jace turned back to his parents, presenting Horus to the two with a flourish. "Mom, Dad, may I present to you the third member of the New Cooper Gang! This is that guy, Horus, I told you two about."

Sly smirked, taking in the large, muscle-bound tiger. "So, you're Murray's successor, huh? Well, you certainly look the part."

Horus cleared his throat before giving Jace's parents a respectful bow. "It is an honor, Sly and Carmelita Cooper. I have heard much about your exploits, and it is a privilege to help your son carry on your legacy."

"Oh, I like him," Carmelita said, leaning against Sly's shoulder.

"Definitely a bit more... old-fashioned than Murray," Sly admitted. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Anywho!" Jace said, clasping his hands. "I promised my gang here a special celebration for finishing our first heist. You know what I'm talking about, old man."

Sly chuckled as he turned himself on his good heel back towards the stairs. "Yeah, yeah, I know the drill, kiddo. Sly's Special Pancakes, coming right up."

"You and your father's pancakes. I swear, Mijo, this is an addiction," Carmelita sighed. "Fleur, Horus, you're, of course, welcome to join us. We want to hear all about the New Cooper Gang."

Jace followed his mother downstairs. "Hey, blame Dad. I don't know what that man does, but I have been to every pancake house in Paris, and none of them compare!"

With the promise of evidently some premium homemade flapjacks, Fleur and Horus exchanged a look before following the Cooper family downstairs.

"Is this… how it usually is between them?" Horus asked.

"Welcome to the family, Horus."