Chapter 11 Coming Together and Falling Apart

After high-tailing it to their hideout, Sly and Tennessee finally got a chance to change the rest of the way out of their prison outfits.

Once they were out of stripes, the Cooper Gang explained everything they could about time travel, the attacks, and what they knew about Toothpick, while he confirmed all the rumors going around town about him getting arrested before his heist, only for it to still happen and Tennessee getting the blame. The gold hadn't been seen since.

After comparing notes, it was decided the first thing they needed to do was get Tennessee's gun (which doubled as his cane, and therefore pretty important to him) back.

After a bit of sneaking around, spying and Bentley disguising himself with the biggest handlebar mustache Sly had ever seen, they managed to work out that Toothpick had stashed it in the mines, and got Tennessee in to get his gun.

When the local raccoon had come grinding out of the mines hooting and hollering and holding his gun/cane up like a trophy, it felt like they were back on track.

Which is why none of them should have been surprised when a new wrench got thrown in the works.

They'd only just bugged Toothpick's office when Tennessee called in over their binocucoms.

"Huh, that's not good," Tennessee said. "Looks like Toothpick rustled himself a pruddy lady."

Worried there was someone needing a rescue, Bentley snatched up his laptop to pull up Tennessee's feed and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"SWEET JUMPING JACKRABBITS!" he shouted, making Sly and Murray jump from where they were playing Go Fish to pass the time. "THAT'S NO LADY! THAT'S CARMELITA!"

Sly's head snapped around so fast Murray was concerned for him. "WHAT?!" he shouted.

"What is she doing here?" was all Bentley could say before his laptop was snatched by Sly.

The raccoon's eyes widened at the sight of his ex-girlfriend struggling against the ropes she was bound in as she was forced inside a carriage. "Carmelita," he said in a stangled whisper.

"You know her?!" he barely registered Tennessee asking in surprise. "Wait, you said Carmelita? Ain't she the one you said'd be tickled pink at you bein' in jail."

"Uh, yeah, she's…" Sly tried to explain but was coming up blank at trying to find a way to describe the utter mess that was his relationship with Carmelita currently. "Yes, we know her, and she's in danger," he finally settled on. "Could you go after her? We'll catch up as quick as we can, but if she doesn't get out of there soon..."

"You got it," Tennessee said, sounding cheerful at the idea of rescuing a damsel and his camera feed was already racing after the carriage. "Leave this to me!"

Sly sighed in relief. "Thank you, Tennessee," he said emphatically. He may still be angry, hurt, and not know where he stood with Carmelita anymore, but the thought of something happening to her wasn't something he could bear.

He turned to the others to see Murray looking worried for Carmelita's sake, and Bentley was once again giving his closed-off expression. "We've got to go!" Sly said.

Bentley just nodded and hopped his wheelchair into the van, and Murray raced to the driver's seat with a cry of, "The Murray will get us there faster than lightning!"

Sly climbed in just as the van peeled out of their hideout and down the dusty desert roads, worry gnawing at him all the way.

Good news, Tennessee managed to save Carmelita before they caught up to them on the other side of the river.

Bad news, Carmelita was still angry at them for robbing the museum and shouted as much across the gorge when she saw them.

Worse news, Sly, Bentley, and Murray had been so distracted by everything that they didn't notice Toothpick and his goons get the drop on them until Sly felt the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head.

Toothpick may be a phony sheriff, but he certainly enjoyed playing the part while arresting them and impounding the van.

As such, Sly once again found himself locked in a Wild West jail, and this time Bentley and Murray were with him and couldn't help him escape.

Unless Tennessee could get them out (with how angry she was, Sly wasn't holding his breath for Carmelita's help), they were very likely stuck.

"Stuck in the same jail twice in as many days," Sly commented dryly as he looked out of their cage bars. Because instead of a cell, Toothpick had them trapped in a cage dangling from a chain above a courtyard crawling with guards. That was one way to keep them from escaping. "Must be some kind of cosmic joke."

"The Murray is not laughing," Murray replied, looking glum.

Bentley was quiet and staring out the cage as well, but didn't appear to be taking in the view.

By that point, they'd been stuck in the cage long enough that it had stopped being intimidating and started being boring, but while Sly and Murray had attempted to make small talk, Bentley's continued silence had put a damper on any conversation they tried to have.

Worried he'd upset the turtle again, Sly decided to bite the bullet and said, "Bentley?"

"Hmm," Bentley said non-committedly, still not looking at Sly.

"Are you okay?"

"... I'm fine."

Sly frowned. "Somehow, I don't believe that."

Bentley's shoulders tensed. "Well, how would you know?" he asked, his voice growing sharp. "You don't know us, remember." He then rolled his eyes and added sarcastically under his breath, "But you know Carmelita."

Sly winced. Yep, he was upset again.

Misinterpreting that wince, Bentley continued, "I bet you're going back with her now, aren't you? Why need me and Murray if Interpol can do the job instead?"

"Hey," Murray tried to intercede. "Come on Bentley, Sly wouldn't do that."

"Our Sly wouldn't do that. But this one? Really?" Bentley asked bitterly. "Because from what I've seen he's been more comfortable being a constable than a thief."

Murray's shoulders slumped hearing that, having noticed the differences in Sly as well.

Oh, so that was it. Well, that wasn't hard to clear up. "Actually," Sly cut in, "I've… been enjoying this whole thief thing a lot more than I thought I would. Way more than I ever enjoyed being Constable Cooper."

Murray perked up and turned to look at him. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

Bentley looked at him too, but his expression was more cautious.

Sly nodded because it was the truth. "Being an Interpol agent, well, I can't say I didn't enjoy doing good and stopping bad guys," he said. "But everything else about that job always felt so stifling. It was just so restrictive." He let out a huff. "It's always 'You need a warrant' or 'follow procedure', or 'it doesn't matter if you know he's guilty we can't do anything without hard evidence'. And if I didn't follow the rules to the letter I was stuck on desk duty, and you both know how much I loathed the paperwork."

Murray let out a chuckle at that, and Bentley was beginning to look more thoughtful.

Sly flashed them a grin. "But with you guys, it's been so much more freeing. Not only did we take down El Jefe a lot faster than any Interpol sting I've been in, but we also left him high and dry with egg on his face in two time periods. It was great! And now, we knew Tennessee was innocent, well, of the gold heist at least. But instead of going through all that mess with lawyers and courts we just went and got him because he didn't belong in that cell. We knew what was right and we just did it!" Sly said enthusiastically. "We weren't following the law, but it was still the right thing to do."

A small smile slowly started to crack across Bentley's face again, but he wasn't totally sold yet. "And what about after we save your ancestors?" he asked slowly. "Will you go back to Interpol then?"

Sly barked a dry laugh. "I highly doubt that's even an option anymore. Not once Carmelita tells them about this."

"Aw, I'm sure she'll understand if we tell her it was to save your life, Sly," said Murray. "We'll even tell her how you tried to talk us into something other than a heist, but we didn't have time for it."

Sly gave him a grateful look but shook his head. "Even if, and that's a pretty big if, she did that, I just… I don't know. I don't think I could go back to that. It was good but it didn't feel right."

"And does this?" asked Bentley. "Feel right, I mean."

Sly looked at him and said, "It feels more right than being a constable, and being anywhere with you two definitely feels right, but… I don't know. Something is still missing."

Bentley's face lit up at him and Murray being described as 'right' but then fell. "Your memories," he said knowingly.

Sly nodded.

Murray reached over to pull both Sly and Bentley into a hug with one arm and punched his fist into the air with the other. "Well, even if you don't have your memories, you still have us. Not even amnesia can break up the Cooper Gang."

Bentley nodded in agreement and looking more cheered up than before from where he was being squeezed against Sly and Murray. "He's right, Sly. If you don't abandon us even with no memories, then there's no way we'll abandon you either." His face then turned wistful. "I just… still wish you could remember us, is all."

There were definitely some warm fuzzies in Sly's stomach at those declarations, before Bentley's words reminded him of a recent dream. "Actually…" he said slowly. "I think I may have remembered you two."

Murray actually dropped him and Bentley as the two stared at Sly wide-eyed at that remark. "You- you remember-?" he struggled to say.

Bentley's expression was one of pure hope.

Praying he wasn't about to smother it, Sly motioned for them to calm down. "It wasn't much, but… I've been having these dreams lately. Dreams about hearing the stories of my ancestors as a kid, usually from my father telling me bedtime stories, but this last one was different."

Bentley and Murray leaned in, giving Sly their undivided attention, and he couldn't help but notice their positions mirrored what he'd seen in his dream.

Sly lifted his hat to run his hand through his fur at their scrutiny, and explained, "In my last dream, I was the one telling the story. Mini-me was in a blanket fort with these two other kids, a cute little turtle, and a hippo. The hippo was begging me to tell them a story about Tennessee." He glanced over at Bentley, and added, "I remember asking the turtle by name if that's what he wanted too. You said yes."

Murray let out a delighted squeal and yanked Sly up into another cruising hug.

Bentley, meanwhile, looked like he was about to burst from the wide grin on his face. "That happened!" he exclaimed. "That happened more times than I can count at the orphanage we grew up in! Your family's histories were our favorite bedtime stories as a kid! Your memories are coming back!" His face then filled with wonderment at those last words. "Your memories are coming back," he said again.

"Slowly and nothing more recent, but… yeah I think so," Sly said from where Murray was squeezing him.

They were in a small cage surrounded by guards centuries in the past, and in copious amounts of danger, and yet despite that all three of them couldn't stop beaming.

Below them, Sly was pretty sure some of the guards in earshot were tearing up at hearing their drama unfold.

Finally, Bentley cleared his throat. "Now then. Let's see, how do we get out of this cage?" he said, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully.

"Not happin' ya soft-shelled ninny," called over one of the cow guards on a nearby landing, one that hadn't been moved by their conversation.

All three in the cage glared down at the guard. "Oh, and why's that?" Sly asked wryly.

The guard snorted and made a sweeping gesture at the entire courtyard. "Look around here, Ringtail. It's goin' to take an army to get the likes of yous outta here."

"Excuse me," said a new voice brimming with false sweetness.

Everyone looked towards the hole Sly and Tennessee had left in the wall from their last escape.

Standing on the rubble framed by the hole was Carmelita with her shock pistol charging up. "I'm the only one who calls him 'Ringtail'."

And with that, she blasted the guard off the landing and the courtyard erupted into chaos.

Despite his mixed feelings, Sly couldn't help but chuckle as Carmelita started taking all of them down. "It may not be an army, but I'd argue she's equal to one."

"Ah do think you're right about that," came another voice, and they looked over to the landing Carmelita had shot the guard off of to see Tennessee now standing there, completely unnoticed while Carmelita was taking names below. "That was some fine shootin' she had gettin' us here. Speaking of which…"

Tennessee lifted his own gun and pointed it at their cage, and with a rapid set of shots, the locks were off and their cage fell to the ground, breaking apart as it did.

They were free.

And by then, Carmelita had cleared the courtyard and all the remaining guards were shocked unconscious at her feet.

Sly picked himself up from the wreckage of the cage and helped Murray pull Bentley free of it, but then felt eyes on the back of his head.

He turned around to see Carmelita glaring at him with fire in her eyes. While he was happy Tennessee had saved her, that didn't mean he was entirely thrilled to see her either.

"Carmelita," Sly said, forcing his voice to stay even. "Are you alright?"

Carmelita had no such qualms. "I am, no thanks to you!" she snapped, gesturing at him with her pistol. "I should leave you in that cage after what you pulled, Sly Cooper!"

Sly stood his ground and his eyes hardened. Well if that's how it's going to be. "Oh? What I pulled? That's rich coming from you," he said dryly.

Carmelita scowled even more fiercely at his attitude and went for the throat. "Why if it wasn't for this handsome and charming gentleman, I wouldn't even be here," she said, striding over to drape a hand on Tennessee's shoulder.

Tennessee blushed under his fur and tried to hide his face under his hat. "Aw, shucks…"

Something ugly twisted in Sly's gut at the sight of Carmelita with Tennessee. Handsome and charming? Really? He didn't want to insult his ancestor, but in his time knowing him Tennessee was scruffy, loud, and smelled like he hadn't bathed in days. Still, if that was Carmelita's preference…

"A gentleman, huh? Well, then why don't you just club him over the head and make him the new sheriff while he can't tell up from down!" Sly snapped, some of his anger starting to leak into his voice.

Carmelita winced before putting her hands on her hips and snapping back. "Maybe I will!"

Tennessee looked between them now very alarmed. "Uh, if it's all the same to you, Ah'd rather that not happen," he said.

Sly took a deep breath to try and steady himself, before turning to stride past Carmelita for the exit. "Oh darn, looks like you're not conning another Cooper into being a cop after all. So then let's just get out of here before someone tries to shoot us again," he said bitterly… Okay, so that deep breath hadn't really worked.

Carmelita looked like she'd been slapped, before stomping over to stand between him and the exit. "That's it, Cooper," she snapped. "Since you clearly think you're too good for Interpol, so be it." She held out her hand with an expression that left no argument. "Badge and pistol. Now!"

Oh look, now he was fired for real. He'd wondered when it would happen.

Looking Carmelita directly in the eye, Sly reached into his pocket for his Interpol badge and dropped it into her waiting hand. But as he reached to do the same with his shock pistol, Bentley of all people spoke up.

"Uh, no offense Carmelita. But given the circumstances, wouldn't it be better if Sly had all the means to defend himself that he can?" the turtle asked, looking a bit silly with Murray hiding behind him as if that would save him from the argument.

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to trust him with it?" Carmelita asked in disbelief.

Sly was very close to snarling at her. "Oh, you have a lot of nerve bringing up 'trust'," he snapped.

Carmelita rounded on him again, but before she could say anything else Sly and Tennessee both started screaming as another attack hit them out of nowhere.

"SLY!" Carmelita cried out in alarm, reaching for him, but her hands passed straight through him as he toppled over. She, Bentley, and Murray watched in horror as both raccoons collapsed to the ground in pain. Their horror was only magnified when both raccoons turned transparent and even almost blinked out of existence for a brief second all while screaming in unimaginable pain.

Finally, the attack ended and both were solid again, and Tennessee was once again swearing up a blue streak at the event, though Sly agreed with his sentiment profusely.

Bentley hurried over to help Sly back to his feet while Murray did the same to Tennessee. Carmelita reached out like she wanted to help Sly too, but stopped herself before she could, as if afraid her hands would only pass through him again. Instead, she only stood there staring at the two raccoons looking pale and terrified.

Sensing the argument was over (for now, at least), Sly resumed his trek for the exit on unsteady steps, with Bentley rolling beside him so his chair could be used as a crutch.

Tennessee was leaning heavily against Murray as they followed. "What in tarnation just happened?" Tennessee asked the hippo, looking incredibly lost.

"It's a long story," Murray replied and started explaining as they walked.

Carmelita watched them go before noticing a strange pain in her hand. She looked down to see that in her fright she'd been clutching Sly's badge in a vice grip, and the metal shield was now digging into her palm.

She stared at it for a long moment before noticing her eyes were wet. She wiped them furiously not about to let anyone see, before hurrying after the criminals that had all the answers she wanted and were probably her only way back to present-day Paris.

She was an officer of Interpol. She would be pragmatic about this and do her job.

Whatever feelings she had about it (anger at Sly for going back to his old ways, hurt at his words towards her, and terror at the thought of losing him to something she couldn't even see), they didn't matter.

She would carry on regardless.

A/N It kind of became a running joke that Murray is the one to explain Sly's drama to his ancestors. You'll be seeing it again. Carmelita is here and no one is happy about it. Well, except maybe Tennessee, but he's now realizing it's a whole can of worms, and he had no clue. Both sides are still justifiably angry with each other, and it'll be a while before they work it out.