Fragments of a Broken Timeline [Book 3]

Ch.38 Epilogue: Fleeting Hope

"Nnn...!" Sly flinched as his eyes slowly slid open, only to suddenly cringe at the blinding sun that beamed down on him.

Slowly, Sly pushed himself to sit up, rubbing his head as he did so. After grabbing his cane, Sly picked up his fallen hat, shaking some sand out of it before placing it back onto his head. However, just as Sly got to his feet and dusted himself off, he lifted his gaze, holding a hand out over his eyes to try and block out the blistering sun. It was then though, that as Sly scanned his surroundings, he noticed various types of mechanical parts, obviously from Le Paradox's blimp, but...no sign of the blimp itself. Actually, when Sly actually thought about his current situation, it had been nearly nighttime when him and the gang had returned back to present day Paris, so...why was the sun out? And also, why was it so damn hot? Sly scratched the back of his head as he continued to scan the area, well, that is...until he finally turned around. Sly's eyes suddenly widened when he had gazed up, his jaw dropping a bit when he saw the great Pyramid of Giza standing before him. It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together after that, and for a moment, Sly felt his heart begin to sink.

"Oh, shit..." He cursed out loud. "No... No, don't tell me...! Did...did I really just...?! Oh, God...!" Sly placed a hand against his head, realizing just how horribly he had screwed this one up.

However, when Sly had suddenly remembered something very important, he gasped, quickly digging around in his pouch. The raccoon did let out a sigh of relief, however, when he found that small little black box, popping it open to still find the silver ring safely placed in its cradle. But that moment of relief did not last for more than a mere moment though, as Sly depressingly closed the box and pressed it against his chest, clenching his jaw as he grit his teeth. Sly quickly lifted an arm, trying to swipe away any tears that had begun to form in his eyes, but the longer Sly tried to stop himself, the more his tears just kept coming. Before long, Sly had collapsed to his knees, clutching onto that black box for dear life as those hot tears fell from his eyes, biting down on his bottom lip.

Damn it...! What...have I done?! Rae, I...I'm so sorry...! Sly tried to wipe his face with his arm again, sniffling this time. However, Sly knew he couldn't just sit around feeling sorry for himself either. After stuffing the box back into his pouch, Sly managed to get back on his feet, rubbing his eyes with his arms as he clutched onto his cane, a determined expression now laid out on his face. No, I can't let this stop me... I don't have time to pity myself. He noted. It was my own fault that I'm in this situation, so...I have to find a way to get back home, to get back to Rae and the others as soon as I can.

And so, while tirelessly wandering around, fiddling with all the parts, Sly stood out in the hot sun of ancient Egypt, inspecting everything he could, trying to find something he could get his hands on that could possibly help to get him back home. Before he knew it, the sun was going down and nightfall was finally upon him. Sly let out a tired sigh as he flopped down into the sand, leaning against the pyramid as he gazed up at the starry sky. Sly suddenly perked up though when he began to see stars flying across the sky, grinning sorrowfully.

"A shooting star, huh?" He said aloud, reaching into his pouch to pull out the black box again, opening the top to gaze down at the ring for a moment before back up at the meteor shower above. "All I wanted...was to make her my wife, to give Rae what she never had the chance to have, but now...I doubt I ever will. If I could just make one wish, then..." Sly closed the box in his hand, pressing it against his chest again. "...I wish...I could go back to her, my Rae..."

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Rae exhaled through her nose softly as she sat in a chair on the balcony of the Cooper Gang hideout back in Paris, everything seeming to go back to normal now that Le Paradox had finally been put behind bars. As Rae was sat in that chair though, the full moon and the starry night sky gleaming down upon her, she didn't seem to be alone. Cradled in her slender arms was a blanket, but inside that blanket was...an infant raccoon, who was slumbering away in the arms of his mother. Rae grinned softly as she gently nudged the slumbering child's cheek, causing him to give a faint smile in his sleep.

"My sweet little Conner..." Rae mused softly. "One day, I hope...that you'll finally be able to meet your father. He may have been cunning, but...your dad was very kind, and gentle, and..." Rae suddenly paused when she felt a tear roll down her cheek, quickly lifting her hand to wipe it away as she sniffled softly. "Oh, Sly... I...I miss you...! All I want is--" The fox had abruptly perked up when she lifted her gaze though, her sapphire eyes widening a bit when she saw an incoming meteor shower, the stars flying across the night sky of Paris.

In that instant, Rae felt more tears begin to fill her eyes as her grip around her son tightened ever so slightly, gazing down at the sleeping infant in her arms. Should I...make a wish?

"H-hey, Conner? The stars are...so pretty tonight, huh...?" Rae said gently, her voice trembling slightly. "Look, sweetie, it's...shooting stars. They say that if you make a wish on one, then...your wish might come true, but you can't tell anyone, otherwise it...it won't come true. It's kinda silly, but..." Rae bit down on her bottom lip for a moment. "Oh, Sly...!"

And just as a single tear fell from her eyes, Rae gave a wary smile whilst gazing up at the falling stars that flew across the darkened sky. I wish... I wish that...you would come back to me, my beloved Sly...! Please... Please, Sly, just...come home.

To Be Continued...?