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// What Was Broken 
// Story: Dressed to Steal 
// by Tatsurou 
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While Dad's memory was still slow to come back, the bonds he'd forged were now remembered.  As such, we spent the next few years slowly reintroducing him to everyone he used to know, watching as that slowly began to bring back associated memories.  The happiest moment had to be when Murray and Bentley joined Sly at Uncle Scrooge's mansion for one of their classic video game sessions.  For that moment, as Mom, Penelope, and I watched, it was just like it had always been, as though nothing had ever changed.

Surprisingly enough, it was Uncle Scrooge who brought that to an end...





As yet another game ended without a clear victor, Scrooge cleared his throat to get attention.  "Bentley, your appointment."

"Oh, right!" Bentley responded, his expression excited and nervous.  Setting his controller down, he took the controls of his wheelchair and turned to leave.

"Appointment?" Sly asked in confusion.

"I really wish I could be there with you, Bentley," Penelope spoke up softly.  "I mean..."  Her words faded as she rested a hand on Bentley's shoulder.

Bentley smiled as he looked up at her, placing his hand on hers.  As their work and time together had progressed over the years, both had grown and changed.  While Bentley still went with his usual wardrobe - all he could deal with from the wheelchair - Penelope had traded her overalls for a yellow jumpsuit that fit her quite well to show how she'd grown.  She'd also traded glasses for orange safety goggles, and her braids for a long ponytail.  "It's alright, Penelope," he said softly, taking her hand to his lips to kiss it.  "Mr. McDuck got the best doctors for this, and the treatment's tested out fine.  I'll be fine."

"Doctors?" Coco asked in confusion.

"Treatment?" Carmelita added worriedly.

"Bentley...what's going on?" Murray pressed, staring at his old friend nervously.  "Are you...sick?"

Bentley chuckled softly.  "Spinal reconstruction," he explained softly.  "The goal of these treatments is to improve my mobility...and hopefully eventually let me get up out of this chair, permanently."  He smiled at the shocked looks.  "Well, the time machine Penelope and I have been working on is nearing completion...it'd be fitting if my first steps into this unknown frontier...were actual steps."

Sly and Murray quickly moved to Bentley's sides, the trio sharing a brotherly hug as they saw him off.  Coco noticed that Penelope seemed oddly conflicted as she watched.  Hopping down, she decided to try and help.  After all, all signs suggested she'd be her aunt before too much longer.  "Wanna talk about it?" she asked curiously.

Penelope jumped at the approach.  Turning, she stared down at Coco for a time...then sighed.  "In private, okay?"

Nodding, Coco turned to lead Penelope to another room while Bentley was led to the car to head for his treatment.  Once they were both seated, she looked up at the mouse girl.  "Something's bothering you, I can tell.  And it has something to do with Uncle Bentley.  It's...not 'trouble in paradise', is it?"

Penelope shook her head.  "No, nothing like that."  She leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in thought.  "It's just...this is probably going to sound silly, but it feels like Sly's holding Bentley back."

"Huh?" Coco asked in confusion.  "How can that be?  They haven't even spent time together in a while."

"Well...we've had a lot of sidelines in development while working towards the time machine," Penelope explained.  "A lot of it...dangerous.  We could make a fortune - both in terms of money and criminal political power - if we were to take those developments into arms manufacture.  And there are other things we could get into that would be...amazing and fun, but Bentley won't hear of it."  She shook her head.  "I love him...but it feels like Sly's moral code is holding him back from his full potential."  She looked towards Coco.  "Does that make any sense?"

Coco frowned, rubbing her head with one hoof.  "Not...really?"

Penelope sighed.  "Yeah, I didn't think you-"

"I mean, it always seemed like pulling teeth to get Bentley to break the law in new ways, when Dad would jump right in as long as it wasn't hurting anyone innocent.  Seems more like Uncle Bentley is holding Dad back in that way of thinking."  Coco shook her head.  "But that doesn't really make sense either, you know?"

Penelope blinked in shock.  "Wait...you mean Bentley's even more morally centered by nature than Sly?"

"Well, yeah!" Coco confirmed.  "Uncle Bentley always told me stories about the early years with Dad.  He was super straight laced back then, always toeing the line of the rules cause that was what got kids adopted.  But because he was tiny, nerdy, and weak, he was always overlooked and shuffled from orphanage to orphanage when the bullying got too bad.  And Uncle Murray had the same problems cause he was too big and not very fit, except he was shuffled around because he got into fights.  If Dad hadn't been there, Uncle Murray probably would have wound up bullying Uncle Bentley, and Uncle Bentley would have grown up as some office worker statistic, just pushing whatever buttons he was supposed to on the computer when he was supposed to with his only release being fantasies of crazy adventures starting with his coworkers mysteriously vanishing."  She grinned happily.  "Dad was just remembering those times, talking about how he and Uncle Murray always had to cajole Uncle Bentley into each new mischief beyond just planning their antics, convincing him how fun it would be."  She paused as she noticed Penelope's face go pale.  "Penelope?"

"...I'll be right back," Penelope responded as she stood up.  "There's...there's something I need to go take care of, and fast."  With that, she turned and ran out of the mansion.





I don't know what it was, but Penelope never came back after that.  We were all really worried about her, but we figured she'd be back in a few days, or contact us...or at least Bentley.  But a few other things quickly leapt to the forefront of our attention.

One thing of great importance, though, was the Thievius Raccoonus.  The writing in the book...was vanishing.