This one shot was from a dream I had.

He didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. For over a month one of his best friends was missing. He, Murray, and Carmelita all kept looking for Sly while living their own lives, but his disappearance was taking a toll on everyone. How did he just vanish along with the remains of Cyrille's blimp? For months Bentley was working on the time locator that was removed from the Cooper van in hopes he could somehow track down Sly with DNA from a scarf that Carmelita had gave him. It always came up with no matches. After many sleepless nights, tearing up or throwing away blueprint after blueprint, frustration and anger grew. Bentley refused to give up. During this time, he also restored the Cooper van (with Murray's enthusiastic approval) to being a time machine once more so they would be immediately ready to find Sly whenever the day comes. On the sixth month, he finally felt he had made progress with improving the locator. He placed Sly's red scarf on the device. He stared at the green radar, slowly spinning and beeping, then the spinning began to quicken and the beeping increased.

Was his friend stuck in the Middle East where they last were? Somewhere in France's timeline? The turtle's eyes grew in anticipation, watching the radar spin faster, fearing it was going to break before his eyes. Instead, it stopped. He snapped his head to the computer, then he arched his brow, taken aback by the result. Ohio, America in October, 7 1994? But that would make Sly...eight. Why would he be...?

Bentley's gut churned. "No..." He grabbed his cell phone and dialed his friend. "Pick up, pick up, pic-"

"Hello?" A low voice answered.

"Murray!" He cried. "Bring the Cooper van, I think I found Sly! But I think he may be in his own timeline. When can you come over?"

"As soon as I can, little buddy! Anything for Sly! Does an hour work?"

"Perfect. I'm calling Carmelita now."

"Ok! See you soon and I'd knew you do it, Bentley!"

"Thanks, pal. Good-bye." He hung up, realizing his hands were shaking. After so many months and sleepless nights, he had finally done it. He dialed the Inspector, straightening his glasses.

She immediately answered. "Bentley?"

"Are you sitting down? I believe I located Sly, but I don't think it's good..." He looked back at the date and location on the screen again.

"Why would he be in his own timeline?" Carmelita asked, staring at the date and location before her eyes. She was dressed in jeans, dark-blue shirt and orange jacket. She had just gotten off work and came straight to the turtle's personal laboratory.

"Unsure," Bentley answered, looking at the pair, "but we may actually find him and hopefully bring him back home."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Murray snapped. "Let's go get him!" He was wearing his field gear, ready for action.

The turtle turned to him. "If Sly is stuck in his own timeline, I'm not sure what will happen if he meets himself. Also, this is a day before his parents' murders. Who knows what in a state of mind he'll be in."

"Then let's go!" The hippo impatiently roared.

Bentley shared his friend's enthusiasm, but he fell in to a ponderous silence without looking at either of his friends.

"Bentley?" Carmelita stepped forward. "You're hesitiant."

"Why is he back when he's eight?" He softly questioned. "Surely the blimp didn't take him there? Or…did it?"

"We're gonna find out, aren't we?" Murray asked.

Bentley paused, then curtly nodded at his larger friend. "Yes." He looked at them both. "No more uncertainty. Are you ready to find Sly?"

"Yes!" They both answered.

Sly slowly heaved himself off the ground with the aid of his cane for support. He looked around, finding some pieces of debris of Cyrille's blimp, but there was a lot less of it than he expected. Did most of the blimp get stuck in time? He looked around himself, trying to take in his surroundings. It was night and in the middle of seemingly nowhere, but when he saw a familiar estate, his heart plummeted into his gut. Forgetting everything about the blimp, Cyrille, or anything else for that matter, the raccoon approached the estate like he was in a trance. He saw some lights on on the bottom floor. He went to the front door and was about to knock, but froze, wondering if he should even knock. He knew he needed a place to stay for the night until he can start trying to think of a plan, but he didn't have to stay here. He wasn't even sure if it was his family anymore. He knew he parents didn't get a chance to make the will, ultimately losing it all.

Suddenly, a vehicle's light beaming behind him caught his attention along with a car horn. He spun on his heel, lighting up at the sight of a welcoming of the Cooper van parked behind the gate. He sprinted down the driveway to the van where Murray, Bentley, and Carmelita all scrambled out of. He ignored his family's initials on the gate, grabbing the bars.

"Sly!" Murray firmly grabbed the bars. "We finally found you! Bentley's worked for, like, six months trying to find you! What are you doing here?"

He noticed the only one dressed in field gear was Murray. Carmelita looked she just got off work and Bentley was only wearing his red bowtie. He was sure they packed the rest of their gear just in case they expected trouble, but they obviously knew that he was far from danger considering where they were. "I don't know," Sly answered. "One minute I was fighting Cyrille, then the next I'm flying through time. The blimp was gone and then," he turned to the manor, "I'm here." After a pause, he looked at Bentley, who was in the middle. "It took you six months to find me?"

Bentley nodded, putting a thoughtful finger on his chin. "I wonder if time was different on our sides. For what was six months for us was only seconds for you. Unless you were traveling in time longer than you thought."

"I just remember thinking about about everything. Meeting my ancestors…." He turned back to the manor once more. "I honestly wished we got to meet my father back in his heyday. Before I was born."

"Sly. Do you know what date it is?"

"No." He looked back at the turtle.

"October 7, 1994."

His eyes grew as his blood chilled to the bone. "No…." He stepped back, releasing the gate. "The Fiendish Five attacks tomorrow night. I have to–"

"Sly. If you try to warn them, you'll be changing the future. Your future," his friend calmly explained.

Sly stood still, looking out to his family's home, but with his body still turned to his friends.

"Sly," Carmelita quietly said, holding onto the bars. "You will never know Bentley or Murray. You would have different friends. You wouldn't have met me…."

The raccoon snapped his head to her, locking onto her gaze. For six months she was looking for him what only felt like seconds to him. He couldn't imagine what she went through. What they all went through. "Carmelita. I am truly sorry for lying. I didn't–"

"That's not the issue. You'd probably find another lady cop to annoy." A soft, sad smile formed on her lips.

Those words was a slap of reality. Sly released a soft breath. He looked at the cane in his hand, back to the estate, then back to his friends. "Honestly, no one could replace any of you." He looked Carmelita dead in the eye. "Especially you."

She reached a hand through the bars with tears welling in her eyes.

He took her hand, brought it to his cheek and kissed it. He rarely saw the Inspector cry, but when she did, he knew it was a heavy matter. He never wanted to make her cry. "I am so sorry I was gone for so long," he whispered.

"Apology accepted!" Murray broke the moment, earning everyone's attention. "Now get over here and let's go home!"

Sly smiled at the demand. He stepped back, looking around the fence for the best approach. He placed the cane in his mouth, climbed up on one of the gate's bars, effortlessly climbed over the gate, then hopped down. He removed the cane from his mouth and Carmelita threw her arms around his neck. He held onto her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He held her like she was a lifeline. The gate suddenly began to open.

They all turned to the estate, seeing a silhouette of a slender man standing by the front door, gazing out to them. A woman joined him.

"It's my parents," Sly whispered taking a step forward like he was in a dream.

"You can talk to them if you want," Carmelita quietly suggested, still holding his hand.

He shook his head, but didn't take his eyes off his parents. "No, it's…it's better if we go…."

Bentley looked up at him. "I'm sure there's no harm in seeing them one last time. This is your chance, Sly."

"They wouldn't have opened the gates for anyone," Murray softly commented.

Realizing this was his one chance to see his family again, the master thief tightened his grip on his family's cane, then sprinted up the driveway to the house, but slowed to stop once he saw his family gazing back at him. He was roughly the same height as his father and everyone who personally knew his father was right– he was the spitting image of him. He wore a crimson, elegant robe– his favorite. His mother wore a soft, blue one. Also her favorite. She took a step forward in disbelief. Sly's breathing quickened, studying the baffled expression on his mother's face and the rigid confusion on his father's. He knew that they knew exactly who they were staring at themselves. He darted to them, throwing his arms around his parents and sobbed like a child.

His mother held him tight, whispering soft, soothing words.

His father held his entire family tight as if fearing they were going to vanish from his arms.

"I-I don't have time," Sly stammered. "I wasn't meant to come here, I–"

His mother cupped his face, removing his cap and brushed the hair from his eyes. "Hush, my son," she soothed. "Whatever brought you here, you are here now and that is what matters."

"You carry the cane," his father commented. "I also saw the van that carried the family's calling card. I knew there was only one person that would have such a calling card other than myself…."

Sly looked his father in the eyes, smiling. "It'd never allow myself to not carry this cane."

The proud smile that formed on his father's face made his heart swell with joy and relief. "I knew you wouldn't."

Sly frowned. "I was never sure if you'd be proud of me or not. If I–"

His father firmly held his lean shoulders, looking him dead in the eye. "I will always be proud of you."

He wanted to cry again, but held back his tears. He wanted to memorize both of his parents' faces because of over the years, they grew blurry.

His father looked over his son's shoulder. "I assume those are you friends."

Sly smiled. "Yes. Murray and Bentley are part of my gang. We're family. We met in…. It doesn't matter where we met, but they are my best friends." He proceeded to explain how with the help of his friends and their own skills that they pulled off many heists, including to get into the Cooper vault. The only thing is he didn't say was who prevented them from getting inside. He told the story of how Bentley managed to the turn that very van by the gate into a time machine and how they were able to meet a handful of the Cooper ancestors, thus how Sly got separated and ended up here at this moment. When he got to explaining Carmelita Fox, he saw the soft, accepting smile on his parents' faces.

His father laughed. "My son stole an inspector's heart. That's a real master thief."

Both Sly and his mother laughed.

"I'm so happy you found love," his mother happily replied.

Sly chuckled, frowning. "Seeing you like this is so unreal. I…I…." He inhaled. "Something happens. Something bad and–"

His father held up a hand, cutting him off. "We know something happened because of your reaction seeing us. We don't need to know what happens, son. What we do know what happens is that you have two very good friends who'd travel through time and risk their lives for you. You have a wonderful girlfriend, who is tough enough to handle a master thief. What your mother and I know is that you are happy. That's all that matters."

He wanted to warn them out the Fiendish Five, but bit his tongue, heeding his father's words.

"Sly." His mother placed her hands on his shoulders, meeting his eyes. "Right now, my baby is asleep in his bed, eager to inherit his legacy tomorrow night, unaware of the man he becomes is standing at our front door." Her amber eyes glistened with tears. "I do not know what happens to us, but that does not matter. Do you understand? It does not matter." Her grip tightened on his shoulders. "What matters is you go home with your friends and you hold Carmelita close, knowing that we would have accepted all of them in our family. You be happy, Sly. That's all we want." She properly placed the cap on his head.

Sly sucked in a deep breath, trying not to cry again. He curtly nodded. "I am happy."

"Now, go," his father gently pressed. "They already waited six months to find you."

Sly embraced his parents a final time with tears burning in his eyes, but refused to cry. Parents and son looked at each other one final time as if they wanted to freeze the memory to hold onto it forever. Sly proudly held his cane, turned, and walked back to his waiting friends and girlfriend. He went straight to his girlfriend, who threw her arms around him. "Let's go home," he softly said, embracing her tight. When they broke away, he looked at Bentley. "I knew you'd find me."

Bentley smiled up at him. "I'd never stop looking, partner."

Sly and Carmelita went to the back of the van hand in hand. Bentley opened the passenger door and climbed into the seat. Murray folded up Bentley's chair, putting it in the back. With the hippo being the last one to buckle up, Sly realized that Murray was sniffling as well as Carmelita was and noticed Bentley wiped his eyes underneath his glasses. He untied the black mask from his tear-filled eyes, setting it down beside him with a smirk. "Sorry that little reunion made you guys tear up."

They all sputtered chuckles.

"I don't even know how long we talked."

"Fifteen minutes," Bentley answered.

Carmelita looked at her boyfriend. "What did they say?"

"They said they saw the calling card on the side of the van. They knew something had happened by the state I was in. My father told me not to tell them what happens because it wasn't important. They said they would embrace all of you into the family." He looked at Carmelita. "Especially you."

Carmelita's eyes immediately welled up with tears once more, putting a hand over her chest. "Did you tell them that I tried to arrest you?" She smiled, lightening up the conversation.

Sly laughed. "I did and my father called me a true master thief for stealing an inspector's heart."

They all laughed.

He looked back at his friends. "I told him we found the Cooper vault and that you, Bentley, turned the van into a time machine. That's how you ended up here and that we even met the ancestors." He cracked a smile. "Needless to say, they were quite proud." His heart sank. "I…I wanted to warn them, but they wouldn't…." His voice faded, dropping his head and Carmelita wrapped her arms protectively around him. He held her.

"They know your future is important," Bentley said. "They know they can't risk it and they see how successful and happy you are. They're proud of you, Sly."

He shakily inhaled. "They are. They both said they are." He leaned into his girlfriend, suddenly exhausted. "Let's go home."

Murray silently began reverse the van as the gates began closing.

Bentley hit the automated button of the time machine, a new feature, to return them back to their own and current timeline. It was bittersweet. No one said a word as they zipped through time and arriving in the laboratory's garage. They even sat in the van longer than they wanted to admit. It was great to be reunited, but Sly couldn't help, but wonder if he made the right choice. He knew deep down that he did. His parents were proud and happy that he was happy. They saw the man their son became to be. They knew about his loyal friends and beloved girlfriend.

When they all finally got out of the van, Bentley watched the raccoon give Carmelita the tightest hug and deepest of kisses. The turtle smiled, knowing that his friend, Sly Cooper, finally had some closure in his life.