Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I don't own anything from the Phantom of the Opera; all rights belong to their rightful owners.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

Well, here's the final chapter! And sorry for the update delay, I learned my best friend is moving out of state next month so I had to spend some time with them before they moved but I did finally update! And I still don't have any new story ideas, with the exception of one oneshot idea, so if you have any ideas please let me know if you have any ideas you want me to do please let me know. So, other than that, please read and review and let me know what you think and how this story turned out. Thanks!

Chapter 12: Amends

I shivered as I stepped inside the small Paris coffee house. It was getting closer and closer to Christmas Eve and the holiday spirit was certainly in the town. That's one of the things I had missed about Paris, the holidays. I hadn't been in Paris for almost year now and for the first time in a long time, I was finally happy. I kept in almost daily contact with Sitka and Charlotte who still lived in the city but other than that, I had pretty much cut all my ties in Paris. I hadn't talked with Erik, Carmelita, and I certainly hadn't made any contact with Sly. Yes, I was still single but I was happy with it. I had gotten away from the drama in the city and had a chance to actually enjoy what I did again. Sure, I didn't have any competition when I went out on a job, but I could steal things and not worry about being arrested by my sister and Cooper. I didn't know if he was still an Interpol officer and frankly I didn't want to find out. I was over Sly and I had moved on with my life. Now, all the moments I had ever shared with him were now in my memories. I shimmied into one of the booths by the wall and removed my jacket silently.

I had returned to the city to spend the holidays with my family then I was going back to my home in Brazil. I had wanted to get as far away from Paris as I could so I moved continents. I had moved out of my apartment in the city and moved into a small apartment in Rio. I had decided to move there since there was a strong Latin vibe there and being half Spanish myself, it seemed to work. Along with the culture of the city, it was far away from France so it would allow me to truly cut my ties in Europe. That and the fact Rio always had an amazing Carnival season was something else that lured me to South America. Even though I had spent almost a year in the hot and spicy city of Rio, I had really missed the cold winters of Paris. I had missed the snow and the ice that formed on the streets and I missed sipping a hot cup of coffee on a cold day. It was always hot in Brazil and the time I would spend in Paris would be a much needed break. Even though I had been back in town only two days, I already knew that the city had changed.

I slipped my jacket down around my waist and smiled softly when I was handed a menu by the waiter. I took it silently and he walked off while I skimmed over the different selections of coffees and finger foods such as scones and biscotti cookies. I waited for the waiter to return so I could place my order after I closed the menu. I had stopped by to get a quick cup of coffee before meeting Sitka and Charlotte in Sitka's apartment for the holidays. I'd stay at his apartment until Christmas was over then I'd go home at the first of the year. I smiled again when the waiter returned for the menu and my order. I placed my order of a mocha cappuccino and a small order of caramel scones and I watched as the young man walked away to submit my order. I pulled my novel out of my purse and got ready to start reading when one of my old friends stopped by my table. I smiled and offered the seat across from me to the elderly woman. Mrs. Pulaski sat daintily on the seat and smiled softly. The elderly female was someone who I had trusted since I was a child. She and her husband were there for both me and my brother the night when my father was murdered. They were the middle aged couple who had taken us in that dreadful night and then almost thirteen years later they had become my landlords at my old Paris apartment. They were some of the kindest people I had met and I always made time if they wanted to talk.

"It has been so different since you left the city, Ramona." I furred my eyebrows at her comment and cocked my head.

"How so?" I questioned softly. Mrs. Pulaski might be been old, but she always knew what she was talking about. She laughed quietly and continued.

"Oh, you probably don't want to listen to the ramblings of an old woman, but things have been so different. For example, that thief you always rivaled with. You know how he went from being a thief to working with your sister, but the rumor is that soon after you left, he dumped your sister and has gone back to thieving. The rumor isn't that he's gone back to thieving, that parts true, but there's still the question of when he went back," she paused briefly and waited to continue until the water had left. He placed my order on the table then returned to his job, "However, things just aren't the same with him. He's a good thief but he wasn't like he was before; almost as if he missing something. Then there's your sister who works with Interpol; she's changed as well. Rumor is that she's even meaner than she was before. Granted I haven't talked with her, but that's what's going around." I nodded at Mrs. Pulaski's statements. We chatted for a while longer until she said she had to meet her husband down the street and excused herself.

I said goodbye to the elderly ferret and turned my attention to my cappuccino and scones. I pulled my book out of my purse and began reading while I sipped my coffee drink. My eyes passed over the sentences in the novel but they weren't registering in my mind. I kept going back to what Mrs. Pulaski had just told me. According to her, it sounded like Sly was going through what sounded like a mid life crisis. This was a turn of events for me. Just before I left, Sly was the one who was on top of the world and happy where I was the one falling apart. Now, it seemed that the tables had turned and I was the one who was happy and now he was falling apart. I mentally debated on whether or not I would hunt and him and figure out what was going on but in the end I decided against it. If I really wanted to turn my life around then I would need to keep away from everything that had brought me down before, including Sly. However, that entire thought bubble was about to pop in my face. After flipping a page in my novel, the sense of someone standing next to my table was overbearing. I glanced up and almost dropped my book from my grasp.

"…Sly…" I mumbled when my eyes met his. He nodded slowly and motioned with his paw to sit across from me. I thought quickly and hesitantly allowed him to sit. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to being wrapped around his finger but I did want to find the truth behind Mrs. Pulaski's rumors. I tightly gripped my coffee mug in anticipation and studied his features. If I had to sum up his appearance in one word, I'd simply say he looked ruff. He looked stressed and like he hadn't slept in days. He looked completely different than he did the last time I saw him. The last time I saw him was that night on the bridge after Erik had tried to kill me. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn't love me and I had moved on. Yes, I still loved him but did I think I could ever make it work? No, I didn't. Even though I didn't think we could ever be a couple, I still wanted to smooth things out between us. He was always a rock for me to lean on when I was a thief in Paris and I had met him when we were children. But, I didn't want to be that close again for one reason. If I got that close to him again then I was only setting myself up for more heartbreak and that was something I didn't want to go through again. All I wanted to do was smooth things out with him; nothing more and nothing less. I watched as he sat silently, avoided eye contact with me, and picked at the table with his thumb.

"There's a rumor going around that you were back in town," he said eventually, "and now I see it's true." He sounded horrible. He sounded tired, stressed, and frankly depressed.

"Well half true," I muttered, "I'm only staying here for the holidays then I'm going back home." He nodded and finally looked me in the eyes. Now that he was in front of me, I could see just how tired he really was. His eyes were bloodshot and he had bags underneath his eyes.

"Are you still in France or have you relocated?" I leaned back and sighed softly.

"This is my first time back in France since last Christmas. So yeah, I've completely relocated." He nodded again and I sipped my drink.

"Where'd you go? I know you couldn't go back to Australia and you just said you're not in France." I put down my cup and thought.

"Here, there, and everywhere." I had only stayed in Brazil but I didn't want him to know that. I wanted distance from him; not to be closer, "What do you want, Sly?" I didn't mean to sound rude but I didn't want to put up with any of his games.

"I wanted to try to talk things out with you," he sighed out, "You and I both know that we didn't end things well and I don't want to fight with you anymore," my ears perked, "We both know that you left in a huff and I didn't really get the chance to answer you." I felt my fur bristle and forced my cup down.

"I had every right to leave in a huff!" I hissed softly. We were still in a restaurant and I didn't want to start and uprising, "And I gave you a chance to answer me without giving me crap, Cooper! But instead you just stood there with your mouth open!" he hushed me softly.

"This is what I'm saying, Ramona. We can't talk without getting mad at each other," my fur flattened and I started to calm down, "Listen to me, I screwed up. I screwed up big time and I know it," he sighed and I tensed when he squeezed my paws and kept his own over mine, "I'm sorry, Ramona, I'm sorry. I know apologizing to you in a coffee shop isn't going to cut it, but I don't want to loose the friendship we had; I want to get it back. I'm sorry, Ramona." He paused like he was going to add something else but he stopped; just like he always did. He released my paws and leaned into the seat behind him. I nodded and we sat in silence.

"Alright," I mumbled, "I'm still mad at you Sly, but I do forgive you. And I don't want to fight anymore either, but you hurt me. You and my sister hurt me in worst way possible and you broke me."

"I know we did," he said softly, "and I'm sorry for that too. I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but I did break it off with your sister. After you left the city, I did some serious thinking and I realized that I stabbed you in the back worse than I'd thought before. So, I quit Interpol, broke things off with Carmelita, and I went back to the gang. But thieving isn't fun without you, Ramona. I don't have any competition and I don't have anything to keep me on my game. But I don't want you to think that I'm only involved with you because you are competition. What Erik told you last Christmas was all a lie. I never said anything negative about you. He was lying to you and I know he was trying to drive us apart. But I think it was starting to work," he grabbed my paws again, "Now I don't know if you want to go back to the way things were but I'm all for it. But I never said anything bad about you." He squeezed my paws gently and smiled. I watched as he stood from the seat and turned to face me one more time.

"And if you want to go out on a crime run before you go back home," his old, cocky smile returned to his face, "I'm always open if you want someone to go with you." I found myself smiling in return.

"I'll think about it, Sly." He winked and I watched as he made his way out of the coffee shop. After he was gone I mentally slapped myself. I was falling for his stupid charms again. I couldn't fall for his smooth talking or I would end up crushed just like I always did. But then again, I did want to be friends with him again.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I pulled myself up onto the roof of the museum from the inside. It was Christmas Eve and the night was perfect for stealing. People were off from their jobs to spend the night with their families and there was no one inside to stop me. Even if I was just visiting the city, temptation was too great for me to pass up stealing something in my old town. I had my sister shut off the security systems inside and I had gone in solo to steal something random. I had searched the museum in and out and eventually decided on a rather large blue sapphire. Before I had come to the museum, I had visited the cemetery and retrieved the bag I had left there almost a year earlier. I ran my paw over the flap of the bag as I inhaled the cold, night air of the city. Snow had completely blanketed the city and Christmas lights were everywhere. The sight was beautiful and everything was completely calm. I held my bag and got ready to pull it over my head so I could go back to my brothers' house until it was snatched from my grasp. I whipped around and got ready to pounce when I noticed the familiar glimmer of gold and the scamper of feet on the snow.

"Cooper!" I shouted with a smile as I looked over the edge of the roof. I spotted Sly standing on the ground, looking up at the roof, and the biggest grin you could imagine spread across his face.

"Ms. Bandicoot!" he replied, "It's nice to see you back out in the field in your home turf! I was starting to think that you were going to leave this glorious and romantic city without taking a souvenir!" I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"It looks to me like you're the one with the souvenir, Cooper!" I heard him bark a laugh and watched as he held his arms out in a challenging way.

"You want your bag back, you've got to come and get it! I'm starting to think you've lost your touch while you've been away, Mademoiselle!" I smirked and huffed.

"You're on, Cooper!" I shouted as I swung my legs over the edge of the building and slid down with ease. He gave me a wink before bolting in the opposite direction. I followed in suit and was determined to chase him down. We both ran down the empty, quiet, nighttime streets of the city and would occasionally slip on a patch of ice. He would occasionally look back to me, smile that overly confident smile he was so famous for, and keep on running. I attempted to round a corner when my feet slid on a large patch or ice and slide past the alleyway. I growled and pulled myself into the alley with a grunt. I heard Sly laugh at the other end of the alleyway and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up, Cooper!" I shouted after regaining my balance. I kept running down the alley until I reached the end. I could see Sly's tail headed for the park and that's exactly where I was going. I ran faster and faster but he was still too far ahead of me to do anything. I jumped the fence of the park and felt my feet hit the snow covered grass. It was dark and Cooper was no where in sight. I walked slowly through the park and looked for the raccoon. He had just disappeared and I had no idea where he had gone. I rested my paw against a nearby tree and tried to catch my breath. Everything was silent and I was completely alone. I was falling for that stupid thief and his tricks again but I realized I couldn't help it. After all this time away from the city, I still loved him. I looked up when I heard rustling in the trees and turned on my heels when two feet landed in the snow behind me. I instantly felt my bag return around my neck and my chest press against his. Sly's arm and cane wrapped completely around my waist while he used the other to brush the hair away from my face. My heart was beating in my chest and I was starting to sweat; despite the icy temperatures of the air around me.

"You're still on you game, Ramona. I have to say I'm impressed." His voice was soft and just above a whisper. I could feel his cool breath on my face and I resisted the shivers that tried to travel down my spine.

"Did you really expect me to loose my edge, Sly?" I tried to stay cool but he was able to see me sweat.

"My dear, there is no telling with you," he smirked and his face was only a few meters from mine, "Just like seeing you sweat on a freezing winter night. How do you explain that?"

"I'm not sweating, Cooper. Why would I be sweating on a night like this?" he chuckled.

"Ramona, your chest is pressed so close to mine to where I can feel your heart beating a mile a minute. I can feel the shivers go down your back and your breathing is erratic," he pressed his free paw to the side of my face and slowly tilted my head to the side while his went in the opposite direction, "I'm proud to say that even over a year of no contact, I can still make you melt. Am I right?" I felt my head move slowly towards his and I knew what was coming.

"No," I whispered, "You can whatever you want and you don't have any affect on me." I could see him smile and I felt my eyelids droop. They were half closed and I noticed his were also. I felt my paws slide up onto his shoulders and tightly grip his shirt as we got closer to each other.

"Maybe," he whispered, "but no matter what I've said to you in the past, there is something very important I need to tell you now," I raised my eyebrows in a response as I found myself unable to answer. I dug my nails into his shoulders and closed my eyes when he closed the small gap between us. For the first time in almost a year and a half, Sly pressed his lips to mine. He was gentle yet caring and I could feel my heart start to beat even harder than it already was. I felt him pull away slightly only to crash his lips into mine again. I sighed softly when he finally pulled away completely but kept our lips close together. I kept my eyes halfway opened as he whispered his message onto lips, "I love you."