That was quick, huh?

Anyway, this is the final chapter of Not So Predictable. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me as I took freaking forever to write a 13-chapter story. Now for a bit of news. Once upon a time, this was going to be its own individual story with a firmly wrapped-up conclusion. Well after some input from fellow user "brave kid", I've decided to eventually make a sequel. That said, the ending is…a little different from what was originally intended.

Enjoy.

Chapter 13: Paradox

The trip back to the present was a lot more intense than Sly expected. That made perfect sense of course. In most of his other excursions through time, he had been sitting comfortably in the Cooper van, while now he had to hold on for dear life to a piece of metal barely larger than a breadbox. But soon enough, the bright flashes of light ceased, the deafening hum quieted, and the duo found themselves standing on a dock back in modern-day Paris.

At last they were home.

Sly just stood there for several moments, leaning over and panting. Though he didn't need to hold onto the time machine anymore, his grip on it had not loosened. "Well...that was...an experience."

"You're telling me," Le Paradox said dryly. "I had to go through it twice already."

Sly finally calmed down enough to release the time machine and take a look around. "Wow. All that time wandering the desert really makes you appreciate good ol' Paris."

"I don't know. It doesn't look quite as appealing as I remember it," Le Paradox said bitterly. Sly wondered what he was talking about until he remembered that the city used to be covered in the skunk's image.

Several moments of awkward silence passed between them, as neither was quite sure what to say next. Finally, Sly took a deep breath. "Le Paradox...thank you."

He snorted. "For what? Saving your stripey tail from that owl? You've already saved me before, so consider us even. I can't stand the thought of having some filthy Cooper indebted to me." Just like that, it appeared that the skunk was back to his old self, as if his touching moment persuading him not to finish off Clockwerk had never happened. It was probably for the best. Sly wouldn't know what to do with him if he was still acting like that.

"So what about this?" Sly asked, holding up the time machine. "I hope you're not planning to pull off any more temporal heists against my family."

"Never again. That machine is way too dangerous for its own good. On that note..." He promptly grabbed the machine, lifted it above his head, and smashed it into the ground. Not quite satisfied with that, he then picked up the pieces and chucked them into the river.

Sly nodded in approval. "Good idea. Let's both give time travel a wide berth from now on."

"Indeed," Le Paradox stared back at him. "When I crush you, I will do it in this era only."

"Good luck with that," Sly grinned. "We Coopers are a real pain to crush."

"Oh, I'm well aware. You'd best keep a look out for me, Cooper. The next time we meet, I'll show you who the real master thief is. Au revior!" Not one for long goodbyes, Le Paradox threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared from the dock. Looking around, Sly quickly spotted him leaping across rooftops in the distance, all while letting out an evil laugh that echoed across the skyline.

Show off.

Okay, so they weren't exactly friends, but "heated rivals" was at least a step above "bitter enemies". He could live with that.

"Oh crap, my friends!" Sly gasped. Here he was so busy pondering Le Paradox that he had completely forgotten why he had wanted to come back in the first place. "I've kept them waiting long enough," he muttered, pulling out his binocucom. "It's time to give someone a little call."

He lifted the device up to his eyes, wondering who exactly he wanted to contact on the other line. Bentley seemed the most obvious choice, but any of the Cooper Gang would do. He was almost tempted to try Carmelita, just so he could see that cute, indignant scowl of hers again.

But his hopes were soon dashed, as he found that he couldn't reach anyone at all. "Huh?...That's weird." He checked that the bincucom's batteries were still in order, tried turning if off and on, and even smacked it a few times like an old TV. Nothing worked. By all accounts, the device was fully functional and he was getting a clear signal, it just wouldn't connect to anyone. He was so desperate, he even tried to call Dimitri! Nada.

"Must be some kind of bug," he concluded. "Guess I'll just have to track down the gang the hard way. Come to think of it, that sounds way more fun."

Sly froze in his tracks as he heard a van pull up behind him. He turned around and had to shield his eyes as a pair of headlights shined in his face. He couldn't make out the details of the van too well because of that, but there was one thing he noticed clearly: the distinct emblem of the Cooper Clan plastered on the side.

"Well, looks like the gang found me first," he smiled to himself, waving an excited paw at the van.

"There you are, Sly! I've been looking all over for you!"

Sly froze again. The voice he heard sounding warm and welcoming, but it was not the voice of any of his friends. And yet, it did sound strangely familiar somehow.

The headlights were turned off and he could make out the van a little clearer. He could tell now that this was not the same Cooper van he and the gang were used to riding around in. It had the same basic design and color scheme, but most of the more advanced features and weapons were absent, leaving it looking like little more than a sports van for some obscure football team.

The front door opened, and suddenly any confusion he had about the van was ground to a halt. That didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. Because the face that smiled so fondly at him now was a strikingly familiar one. One that he thought he would never see again.

Sly swallowed a lump that welled up in his throat. "...D-Dad?"