AN: So, here's my dilemma. One reviewer told me that it would suck when I finished this (thank you) and another told me that the cliffhanger was killing her (also thank you). So, what do I do? Finish the story (which, allegedly, would suck) or post this last chapter and resolve the cliffhanger (which, allegedly, would definitely NOT suck).

So, you see my problem.

As you can also see, however, I decided to remedy the cliffhanger and finish the story. I know, I know, it's sad that we're over so soon...but a happy conclusion is a LOT better than a horrible cliffhanger. So...here you go. I sincerely hope that even in cheesy goodness, they all remain in character.

"It's time travel," Carmelita muttered irritably, crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she slumped in the passenger seat of the van. "Shouldn't it be instantaneous?"

"I'm sorry, Carmelita," Bentley replied in a tone that suggested that he was not really sorry, but rather annoyed at her griping. "But this is just how it works. It takes time to get from one point to another. It's no small matter to punch through the space-time continuum."

Carmelita growled under her breath and ground her teeth in frustration. Murray and Bentley shared wary looks and quickly edged away from her, shooting uncertain glances at her out of the corner of their eyes, but she didn't care or feel sorry for them. They'd been in the van, shooting through the time vortex, for approximately an hour, with no sign of stopping. Why did time travel take time? Didn't that defeat the point?!

Suddenly, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Cliché, yes, but the irony escaped Carmelita as she inhaled sharply and leaned forward in anticipation, realizing that her wait was finally over.

The radiance engulfed the van, the blinding light searing their skin and blinding them completely—

And then suddenly, they were bathed in a different kind of brilliance.

All around them, the desert sun beat down, reflecting harshly off of wave after wave of rolling sand. Everything—everything—was gold and bright and the very air seemed to shiver and ripple with heat.

The splendor of it all was lost on Carmelita, who was already scanning the surrounding area. Her sharp blue eyes narrowed against the harsh sun, squinting in attempt to see—

Her breath caught in her throat.

There.

The pyramids seemed to tremble and heave, distorted by the reflections of the thick, heavy heat off of the golden sand, but the sun was at just the right angle to highlight the figure poised at the very tip of the largest of the three. She'd recognize him anywhere, even after the years apart.

"I see him!" Murray called excitedly, already shoving his way out of the back of the van. "I see him!"

"Great scott!" Bentley crowed. "We found him! We—we found him!"

Carmelita said nothing, only stared, wide-eyed at the shadow crouching high above her, poised with a balance that could only belong to one person.

She watched as Sly, who had his back to them, scanned the horizon before him. She watched as, after a long moment, his shoulder slumped in disappointment. She watched as he tucked the Thievus Raccoonus under his arm with an air of defeat and began to pick his way down the Great Pyramid.

He'd been waiting, she realized.

And now he thought it was all for naught.

Well, she couldn't have that, could she?

She was out of the van in an instant. "Sly!" she called, willing her voice to carry across the sand and stone as she ran. "Sly! Wait!"

xXx

He'd known it wouldn't work.

Still, he couldn't help the stab of disappointment when the distant horizon remained unchanged and exactly the same as it had been. With a sigh, Sly began to move down the pyramid, thinking that he should probably get back to the hideout his ancestor had set up. It was time to start thinking about his future in this world, since apparently, he wasn't going to get a chance to live out a future in his own world.

And yet, he didn't want to start that yet. He felt like now was not the time to look forward. It felt more like the time to mourn.

Sly…!

Sly's head whipped up in surprise as he heard a faint sound—like someone calling his name. Someone familiar. Carmelita? Hope blossomed in his heart and eagerly he again scanned the land before him, looking for anything, anything to suggest he was saved.

There was nothing.

Sly…!

Sly shook his head in disgust. Now he was imagining things as well. Great—just great.

Sly, buddy!

Sly stumbled and nearly didn't land his next jump as the next voice met his ears. This time, it wasn't Carmelita—it sounded like Murray. Again he paused and looked around, but again, there was nothing.

"And now, not only do I talk to myself, but I'm hearing other people talking to me," Sly muttered. "There's the final proof—I'm going insane."

Sly, turn around!

Turn around? What?

Doing what the voices told him would suggest that he wasn't "going" insane—he already was. But still, he couldn't resist. Maybe, just maybe…

He cautiously turned his head—and promptly dropped the Thievus Raccoonus in surprise.

He'd expected to be greeted with nothing but rolling dunes and undeniable proof that he'd finally lost it. Instead, he was almost stunned by the brilliant colors of the Cooper van, standing out against the sand like a sore thumb.

He didn't believe it at first. He reached up and dazedly rubbed his eyes. Was it a mirage? It had to be a mirage. Of course it was a mirage…

But there was Murray, waving like a maniac as he pounded toward the pyramid, and there was Bentley, forgoing trying to wheel through the dunes in favor of activating the hover-pack feature on his wheelchair and flying forward. And, leading them both, was Carmelita.

Now the only question was—was she running because she was excited to see him, or because she was excited to catch him, and cart him off to Interpol? With her, he could never tell.

This thought stopped him for only a second—a second's hesitation that seemed like an eternity to both him and those watching.

Then he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He batted aside the internal argument and darted down the side of the pyramid.

xXx

For Carmelita, time seemed to stop as Sly hesitated. She could tell he was surprised, could tell he didn't believe it—that much was clear by the way he'd frozen and actually dropped the oh-so-important Thievus Raccoonus.

Now, he was wavering, pausing, standing still as he stared at them. Carmelita bit her lip and ran faster, stumbling as her eyes never left Sly. She was waiting—waiting—for him to break the sudden stillness, to move forward, to climb down, but she couldn't just push aside the nagging worry that he wouldn't, silly though it was.

Then he was a blur of movement, seeming to streak down the side of the pyramid, and Carmelita finally realized just how much she'd missed seeing him leap and jump in such blinding displays of seemingly effortless acrobatics. Before, it had usually been while he was running away from her on their nighttime chases, but now, incredibly, he was running towards her, and the distance between them was closing.

She stopped several meters from the base of the pyramid, watching as Sly leapt the last few steps to the ground. Amazingly, he actually stumbled upon landing, almost falling flat on his face, but he didn't seem to notice, grinning as he was. This alone was a testament to just how affected he was.

"G-Guys!" he stuttered, brown eyes wide with hope and excitement. "You're here!"

Before he could even regain his balance, Murray and Bentley had shot from behind Carmelita and pounced. Carmelita winced at the bone-crushing hug Murray delivered, but Sly didn't seem to care—only laughed and gripped his friend tightly. Bentley, not wanting to miss out on the love, forced his way in between them. Rather than breaking up the embrace, the act only added to it, turning it into a touching group hug and making Carmelita wish she'd brought her camera. This was definitely a moment to remember.

Eventually, they all seemed to remember Carmelita, standing to the side and feeling distinctly like a fifth wheel. Sly gently brushed Murray off, and Bentley released him without the need to be told, backing up slightly to give the fox and raccoon some space.

Carmelita wanted to rush forward and embrace him, just as Murray had, but something stopped her. She realized that Sly was looking at her with something akin to doubt in his hazel eyes. His hands were twitching, as if he wanted to reach out but was stopping himself. And when she met his eyes, he dropped his gaze.

Was he…afraid?

Sly, for his part, was very afraid. He didn't know exactly what to do, and was still unsure about where he stood with Carmelita. Would it be a bad move to embrace her, or was she longing for it as much as he was? He couldn't be positive, and the uncertainty was killing him.

Was the woman standing before him Carmelita or Inspector Fox? Because it made a big difference.

She reached up, and he tensed, wondering what she was doing and how he should react. His apprehension melted into confusion as her fingers disappeared inside her breast pocket, fishing for something.

She pulled out a scrap of charred paper. The edges were seared, blackened, and curled, and while Sly could tell that it had once been white and pristine, the surface was now smudged and worn and stained with years of abuse and damage. Silently, she held it out to him. Still puzzled, he accepted the piece and studied it.

He recognized it instantly. Of course he did—there wasn't a day that had gone by in this forsaken land that he hadn't thought about it. It was the picture. Worn and damaged beyond repair, yes, but the same picture.

He looked up at her. "You kept this?"

She tried to smile at him, but her expression wavered and she bowed her head to hide tears threatening. "I wasn't sure you'd ever come back," she replied softly. "I'd hoped, of course, but…"

She trailed off, unable to voice her past fears. She never, ever showed weakness—not in public, and certainly not in front of Sly, of all people. She looked up now, uncertain as to how Sly would react to her admission.

He didn't say anything—but rather, Carmelita was shocked to find him closer than he had been, and suddenly his lips were on hers, and his arms were around her. She tensed, startled, but his embrace tightened and, after a moment of battling wills, she allowed herself to relax, and kiss him back.

Bentley and Murray shared knowing grins. They'd seen this coming, even if neither Sly nor Carmelita had. Then, with a sly grin, Bentley pulled out his binocucom.

When Carmelita finally broke away, she felt a lot more together and confident. Sly, too, had had his fears banished. It was as if that one kiss had set everything straight and dispelled all possible doubts as to where they stood with each other. In a way, it had.

They were interrupted, however, by a flash and a click. With reflexes a cat would be jealous of, both whipped their heads around, immediately zeroing in on the source.

Smugly, Bentley waved the binocucom. "That's definitely one for the books," he announced proudly.

It took both Sly and Carmelita a moment to register his words, before both abruptly blushed and let go of the other, inching apart and looking away. Sly fidgeted in embarrassment and Carmelita rubbed her arm uncertainly. With Bentley and Murray grinning stupidly at the triumph of capturing Sly and Carmelita making goo-goo eyes at each other, both of the lovebirds felt the need to do something to break the tension, but weren't quite sure what.

Sly was startled and actually jumped in surprise when Carmelita suddenly snatched the burnt picture from his grip and shoved her nose in his face, eyes burning with a sudden intensity and menace that had him backing up a few paces and eyeing her warily. "Don't," she growled threateningly, planting her hands on her hips, "ever leave me like that again. Understood?"

Sly gulped nervously. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Carmelita spun around smartly on her heel and strode away, towards the van, nose in the air and hand resting suggestively on the butt of her shock pistol.

Sly stared after her, stunned and not just a little impressed. That was the Carmelita he knew—hot-headed, stubborn, strong, and beautiful.

Bentley chuckled as he wheeled himself over to be at Sly's side. "She's gonna be a handful," he warned with a grin.

Sly's eyes didn't leave Carmelita's swaying figure as she moved farther and farther away. "Yeah," he agreed, voice distant.

"Sure you're up to it?"

Finally, Sly managed to shift his gaze, looking down at Bentley with a new light in his eyes—a sparkle of laughter, a glimmer of mischievous delight, a gleam of anticipation. "I was born up to it," he replied with a smirk of impish cockiness that sat naturally on his roguish features.

However, as Murray joined them and the three friends began to follow the Inspector, he added, "Besides, at least she's not shooting at me anymore."

"Mm-hmm," Bentley agreed. "She's a bit too good of a shot to forever have at our tails, if you ask me."

"The Murray did not like being on the wrong end of that gun of mass, electric destruction," Murray admitted, eyeing the offending pistol with wary eyes.

Sly just grinned easily and slung his can over his shoulder. "Aw, don't be like that. I thought it was fun."

Bentley rolled his eyes. "If a little hazardous?" he prompted.

"That's what made it fun," Sly insisted, just to keep the argument going. "It was like tag!"

"The Murray…does not get it," Murray said after a long moment.

"Think hide-and-seek—but with more adrenaline," Sly elaborated, as if that explained everything.

Bentley groaned. "You two were made for each other."

Carmelita, having heard the whole conversation, just smirked to herself and patted his shock pistol in contentment. Though she didn't want to admit it, she did know what Sly was talking about, and, secretly—and don't ever tell Sly this!—she kind-of-sort-of had almost, maybe-just-a-little-bit…enjoyed those Cop-and-Robber chases as well.

…Maybe they were made for each other.

AN: So, this is about the shortest multi-chap I've ever written. Yay? But I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the ride, short as it was, and I hope this is up to all y'all's standards! :) Thank you to each and every one of your reviews, and if you like it, I've got more! Click the link above-the blue words 'Ira' and 'Lea'. Yeah. Those ones.

Thanks! ('specially to Lone Phantom. Love. You.)

Love, C. L.