Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

I finally had another story idea! I do want to thank 'ForeverFreelancer' for helping me with parts of this story, so thanks! But other than that, please read and review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

For Every Cooper

Chapter 1: Research

I slowly scanned the afternoon skyline, looking for a particular apartment window. I'd been looking for Ramona all day and her apartment was the last place she could possibly be. She'd been out of sight for the past few days and I wanted to make sure she was still in the city. There was never any telling when she'd get up and leave the city for a few days and she'd never let people know when she would. Ramona was never one to stay in one place for too long and would constantly go places every few weeks. Hopefully she was in her apartment; I had something important to tell her. I finally found her home and zoomed in to see if I could see her inside. She had her curtains open and I could see her small living room. I was ready to call it quits and go home when I noticed her slowly stroll to her couch, her nose buried in a book. I smiled briefly and shoved my binoccucom back into my leg pouch before leaping from my perch and clung onto the drainpipe next to her complex. I climbed silently, trying to keep from being noticed. I preferred to go walking around the city at night; there was a lessened chance to be caught by the police than waltzing around in the middle of the day. But, given the current circumstances, going in the day would just be easier.

I latched onto her balcony and hoisted myself up before peering inside her home. She had seated herself on the couch and still had her mind completely focused on her book. It didn't look like a novel but more like a history book. She would look at the book in her lap, then to one on the cushion next to her, and finally scribble something on a notepad. She'd shoved her pencil inside her sloppily prepared bun and look back to the book in her lap. She was studying something but what I was, was still a mystery. I silently slid the doors open but still, she seemed unfazed. I stepped inside quietly, shutting the door behind me, and walked silently on her carpeted floor. She was zoned out and focused on her studies, completely unaware of my presence. I stepped behind the couch, and rested my paws on the back of the couch, looking over the pages in her book. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a strange topic for a woman like her, but then again, there was never any telling on what she was going to do next.

"Now what is a pretty lady like yourself doing with a book on hieroglyphs?" she shrieked and jumped at my voice, turning around, ready to hit me with her book. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction and lean against the back of the couch.

"Sorry," I said through laughter, "Didn't mean to scare ya." She rolled her eyes with a chuckle and rested against her couch before looking back at her book.

"The only thing that scare me about you Cooper are your manners." I gave her a look of false hurt and jumped over the back of the furniture. I landed with a flop on the cushions next to Ramona and scoffed at her comment.

"My manners? I'll have you know that I have excellent manners, Mademoiselle." She placed a marker in her book and shut it before raising her eyebrow in my direction.

"So you consider sneaking into my home well mannered?" I flashed her a smile and stretched my arm out on the back of the couch, not on her shoulders, but directly behind them.

"I was checking up on your welfare," I nudged her shoulder with my knuckles, "You've been out of sight for the past few days, I've been worried. So, I consider my entrance quite mannerly."

"Well mannered or not," she smiled, "I'm fine." She opened her book again and her eyes scanned the page.

"That's all I wanted to know," I nudged her again and she raised a suspicious eyebrow in my direction, "Now, what is it that has kept the ever adventurous Ramona Bandicoot in her home for the past few days?"

"I've been studying, if you must know," I barked a laugh and rested my feet on her coffee table, "Since when do you study? You know, scratch that, what are you studying?" Ramona was never one to get a feel for what she was going into when it came to a job, so what was she up to?

"That," she said after shutting her book again, "is none of your business." I reached over, grabbing the book from her grasp, and held it away from her.

"Hieroglyphs of the Ancient World," I said aloud as I read the book title, "Now what do you want with a book on hieroglyphs? Hieroglyphs, studying for days on end, you're actually taking notes, and from the looks of your kitchen table," I glanced to her kitchen and noticed numerous book pertaining to different areas all over the world, "you're trying to study up on your next location. What are you up to, Ramona?" she reached over me in an attempt to get her book back but I kept it from her reach.

"Give me the book, Cooper," I shook my head with a laugh and moved the book further from her, "Give me the book."

"Tell me what you're planning first. If you're planning on what I think you're planning on doing I might be able to help you." After noticing the other books on her table I was starting to get an idea on what she was up to. Which would explain the various books on different countries and her taking notes all of a sudden.

"You have no idea what I'm planning," she reached over me, trying to grab the book again, but I wouldn't let her have it, "Now give me my book!" she was trying to be serious but the smile on the face gave her away.

"I know exactly what you're doing, my dear. You're studying up on your family tree. That would explain all the books and your sudden urge to study." She snatched her book from my paws and settled back down one the couch.

"Fine, now how do you plan on helping me? What are you going to do, be my study buddy?" she nudged my chest and I laughed.

"As much fun as that sounds, I have a better idea. Follow me." I stood and tried to pull her with me but she stayed put.

"Where?" she asked simply. She tapped her fingers on the over of her book and looked up to meet my gaze.

"Just follow me." I motioned for her to follow me but she stayed seated. I grabbed her wrists gently and yanked her from her couch, "Just trust me." she was still skeptical, but eventually she followed me out of her apartment and to my hideout.

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

"Again," Ramona said after I had led her into the garage of the hideout, "how are you helping me?" I stood behind her and pointed to out team van.

"With that machine right over there," Bentley had modified our van to make some pretty nice adjustments and it would be just the thing both of us needed to investigate our family history.

"Your team van? How does your team van help me study?" I gave her another smile and continued.

"Not just a van, Mademoiselle. It's what's on top of the van that's important." I pointed to the can again and she looked in the same direction.

"Oh! I see it now!" I could already tell she was being sarcastic in her response, "You put a Flava Flav clock on the top and that'll help me with my problems!" she slapped my chest and flattened her ears against her head.

"I'll tell you, Ramona…that sarcasm of yours never gets old," she chuckled softly, "But that is no clock, that, my dear, is a time machine." She barked a rather loud laugh and shook her head.

"You've lost your mind, Cooper, that is a van with a clock. Besides, time machines are completely impossible to make. Not to mention the ethical side to all of this, even if this did work, who's to say that by simply being in the past wouldn't screw us all over in the end. The past is the past for a reason, Sly."

"Don't worry, Bentley has this all figured out. We're all perfectly fine if we go back, or even forward for that matter." She shook her head and faced me.

"What's this 'we' stuff? I'm not getting in that thing. If you want to sit in your van and pretend to go sailing through time, you go right ahead. I, on the other hand, am going home to do research."

"Now what happened to the daring Ramona I knew? Now wouldn't it be easier to just go back in time and meet your family instead of reading what could be false information? Why not get it straight from the source?"

"I'll tell you why," she folder her arms across her chest, "because you have so many things hooked up to that clunky tin tube, I really don't feel like being electrocuted today, Sly. Besides, it won't work so it's simply a waste of time."

"Well if it's a waste of time then get in. We'll fire it up and if it's a flunk, you win. But if it works, I win." I knew Ramona wouldn't back down from a challenge and this would work. I had faith in Bentley's building skills.

"Alright," she said eventually, "I'll play along with your cracked little game. Then tell me 'father time', where are we going?" she was positive this wasn't going to work and I couldn't help but let a large smile spread across my face.

"Where ever and whenever the pretty lady wants." She thought for a moment before placing her paws on her hips.

"Thebes," she said simply, "Thirteen hundred B.C." I let out another smile and motioned towards the van with my paw.

"After you, Mademoiselle." She rolled her eyes and walked towards the van. She was sure this wasn't going to work, but I knew it would.