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They were asked to steal some blueprints.
They were texted separately to meet the guy in person. Which they did. And then received texts regarding when and where to meet up to plan the job. The four thieves agreed.
“I haven’t used this rig in years…” Felix commented, as he got ready. He briefly hung upside down off of some construction equipment on the roof of the place they were breaking into, in between Robin, Alice and Tinker Bell.
“Are we sure this plan is gonna work?” Robin asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Alice said, from where she sat cross legged, typing at her keyboard.
Robin glanced at Alice.
“Well, we’ve got backup plans, in case it doesn’t.” Tinker Bell said.
“True.” Felix said, as he finished getting his rig ready, and then jumped down onto the roof.
“Okay. On my mark.” Robin started. “One, two…” But before she could finish, Felix was running and leaping off of the building, Alice muttering “He’s gone”, as she looked up from her screen, eyes wide, and watched him jump. He stopped where he was supposed to on the side of the building, only upside down. He righted himself and got to work.
The plan worked. Until it didn’t. Some of the guards wanted to watch a baseball game. They got the blueprints, and instead of going up, had to go down. They got off of the elevator as Felix faked an injury with a fake cast. Tinker Bell, Alice and Robin helping him along as they headed towards the exit. The guards didn’t suspect anything, and the four thieves all but ran once they were out of sight to their vehicle they had parked a few blocks away.
Robin woke up to the guy that had hired them calling her, saying that he didn’t get the blueprints. Even though she had seen Alice send them. So he told her to meet up with everyone else at a warehouse.
When she got there, everyone was arguing. And she only realized in time that it was a trap. That they hadn’t stolen the blueprints back. They’d just stolen them. They ran and just made it out of the building as it exploded behind then, knocking them unconscious.
They woke up in the hospital.
Handcuffed.
Tinker Bell and Robin in one room. And Felix and Alice in the other.
Felix was out of his cuffs, sitting cross legged on the bed. And Alice asked “Could you teach me to pick locks?” And both Felix’s and Alice’s faces lit up as he nodded at her.
Robin was handcuffed to a chair, while Tinker Bell was on the bed.
They heard each other through the vent that connected their two rooms.
Tinker Bell said she could get them out there.
“Felix, I need a phone.” She said.
“This is gonna suck.” Felix muttered, before doing what Alice thought he’d do because that’s what she would have done in order to get a phone.
And twenty minutes later, they walked out of there. Because Alice was pretending to be an undercover cop after they had faxed her supposed information over for confirmation. She walked out pretending to arrest Robin, Tinker Bell and Felix. And used the car of the actual cop who had been asked to watch them. Alice gave a bow at the officer who had walked them out as she closed the backdoor of the vehicle. And then got in the driver’s seat and drove away.
They were going to go their separate ways. But after walking through the door of the loft they’d met up at multiple times to plan the job, the four of them wanted revenge.
And they got it.
They realized working together was fun. Working as a team instead of alone was fun. And that there were more people out there who needed help.
So they kept working together.
They stayed at the loft, but after only one job, they were told they couldn’t stay there anymore. The allotted time, which had been two weeks, that the guy who had screwed them over had given them to plan the job, was up.
Robin closed the door after the man told them they had until the end of the day to move out. She turned around to face Alice, Felix and Tinker Bell.
“I’ve always wanted to try and make new coffee and tea’s…” Felix commented, regarding the cafe downstairs they passed every time they came up to the loft. Even though there was another entrance, they just didn’t use it.
Alice lit up and looked at Felix, ecstatic.
Robin heart eyed Alice, knowing she’d go along with it because her girlfriend wanted to and she wanted her to be happy, and she also wasn’t opposed to the idea (they hadn’t said anything to Tinker Bell or Felix, they had started dating after the first job. They’d bonded over breakfast choices, steel cut oatmeal with nuts and seeds or whole grain toast with blueberry jam or peanut butter, favourite places to go, movies and tv, books. Alice loved Robin Hood and Robin loved Alice In Wonderland.)
“I like tea and coffee.” Tinker Bell said.
So.
They bought the building.
And Alice wanted to rename it in honour of their team.
So they called it ‘Once Upon A Cafe’.
They were a work in progress the first few cons.
“Felix just stabbed a guy.” Robin muttered into her comms at the party they we at for the con, as she watched Felix jump over the balcony to escape after stabbing said guy with a fork.
Alice had tried to find him, being in the building next to the one the Mark was in. She couldn’t find him, and Robin and Tinker Bell had met up with her as she continued looking for him.
“He could be half way to anywhere by now.” Robin said.
“Who are you guys talking about?” A voice asked.
And Alice, Robin and Tinker Bell turned to their left to see Felix standing there. None of them had heard him come in.
Tinker Bell ran and hugged him. Felix was briefly taken aback, but he hugged her back too. They parted.
“Uh. No one.” Robin said. And then explained how they’d have to follow the Mark to another location.
However many cons later, and Felix exclaimed “And I didn’t even stab him.”
To which Tinker Bell told him “We’re so proud of you. No stabbing Wednesday’s.”
The Butcher had shown up at a wedding they were doing a con at.
“Ohhhh.” Robin muttered, worry in her tone, as she turned back after having briefly glanced around the corner of the house. Only to see a guy she knew in the crowd of people.
“Why are you ‘oh-ing?” Tinker Bell asked.
“Uhhh. He kind of knows me. But it’s totally fine. He’s not gonna recognize- “ And Robin hadn’t even finished her sentence when said The Butcher walked out from the side of the house where the four thieves had been covertly talking, only to stop and recognize Robin immediately. For a few seconds, no one moved. Alice, Tinker Bell and Felix looked back and forth between Robin and The Butcher for a few seconds. And then, he started speed running at her.
“You just said - Yeah, he totally recognized you.” Tinker Bell muttered.
“She didn’t even finish her sentence.” Felix commented.
“I think he recognized you.” Alice said.
They fought. And she won. And Felix, Tinker Bell and Alice laughed.
They started teaching each other their own unique skills.
Felix taught pickpocketing. Alice gave coding lessons. Robin taught them how to throw a punch among other self defence and non self defence moves. Tinker Bell taught them how to read a mark and know just what to say and do around them.
For cons they were all the Mastermind. They all had the capacity to see the bigger picture and worked together when a con went sideways to go at it from a new angle.
One day, however many cons later, Felix and Tinker Bell announced they were dating.
They’d walked into the loft. Alice and Robin were watching a movie on the couch, (500 Days Of Summer), but stopped it when they had come in. Tinker Bell and Felix joined them on the couch, holding hands.
“We’re dating.” Tinker Bell told them.
And Felix nodded vigorously.
“Oh, wicked!” Alice said.
“Very cool.” Robin said.
Alice and Robin then glanced at each other, a lot of agreement passed between them. They turned back to Tinker Bell and Felix.
“We’re dating, too!” Alice said, smiling.
“We are.” Robin said, smiling too.
“That’s amazing.” Tinker Bell said.
“We’re really happy for you.” Felix said.
“We were going to tell you. It’s just… “ Robin started, before tailing off, as Alice vigorously nodded along with her girlfriend.
“We get it.” Felix said, understandingly.
“We do. It’s totally all okay.” Tinker Bell assured them.
“I dated a boy once. I completely understand.” Felix told them.
“Who’d you date?” The three women asked at the same time.
Felix didn’t answer right away. “Pan. Peter pan.”
Alice blinked. “Peter?” She asked, surprised. Before she l started talking fast. “Oh. I know Peter. We were great friends. For a while. Years. Even lived together. Did cons together. But our friendship ended, sadly.”
“Small world.” Felix commented. “Yeah, we didn’t end on great terms, either. Reasons..." Felix said, trailing off. And the three women nodded understandingly, as if to say ‘Say No More’. “I’m sorry your friendship with him ended.” He told Alice, sincerely.
“I’m sorry your and his relationship ended.” Alice told Felix, genuinely.
And the next day, Felix opened the door to the loft and saw a banner saying ‘Congrats On Getting Over Your Ex And Moving On, Tink’s Amazing’.
He stopped, his face going ‘what the - ’. Before Alice, Tinker Bell and Robin jumped out from behind the kitchen table.
Alice yelled “Surprise!”
Robin said “Surprise.” too.
Tinker Bell meant to say surprise, but all she could do was laugh at the entire thing and also seeing the look on Felix’s face.
Felix’s face softened and the four thieves celebrated long into the night.
Alice had come downstairs one day while Felix was helping the barista’s, and sat down at the counter. In front of Felix. And crossed her arms and put them on the table, and then she put her head down on top of her arms. She looked at Felix with the equivalence of puppy dog eyes.
“Can I help you?” Felix drawled.
“I want to make new tea’s and coffee’s too.” Alice said.
“Oh. Yeah. Come on.” Felix said, motioning her behind the counter and to first wash her hands.
Alice and Felix both lit up as they made drinks together that afternoon.
They presented their new drinks when Tinker Bell and Robin came in, pushing their drinks in front of their significant others, smiles on their faces, questioning looks on their significant other’s faces. But then, trying new drinks became their thing.
Blueberry tea with whip cream, caramel, and cinnamon on top. Coffee with cinnamon in and whip cream with a drizzle of maple syrup on top. Matcha tea with strawberry drizzle on top. Earl grey tea with honey in and cinnamon sprinkled on top. And so on.
The two other thieves met the infamous Peter Pan.
They’d been working a job and suddenly heard him on the comms.
“Is that - ?” Alice started.
“It’s him.” Felix said.
They’d found Pan. Or rather, Felix did. Yelling at him to stop. He’d been working for the wrong people on this job. Sometimes the good guys needed bad guys to help them. Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys.
And Pan stops. Felix catches up with him. Pan takes a step towards Felix, their lips inches apart.
“I’ve missed you.” Peter breathes.
Felix doesn’t say anything. And then, Peter’s lips are on his. But before he could react, Peter was running. And Robin, Alice and Tinker Bell were running towards Felix. Felix turned and watched Pan go.
Tinker Bell and Robin stopped a ways back, but Alice ran and stopped near Felix. And then she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Felix turned from where he had watched Pan run and hugged Alice back, parting after a long few seconds.
Felix and Alice spilled the tea that night, talking about their respective relationships with Peter Pan. How there were more bad parts than good.
Tinker Bell was an enigma.
They knew she was a Grifter. They questioned Tinker Bell if that was even her real name. But she told them it was. And then she started opening up about her past, saying things here and there.
And then, she revealed them.
Her wings.
Translucent tinted green wings.
Felix, Alice and Robin were shocked.
“I’m a fairy.” Tinker Bell said, standing in front of them in the loft.
Alice, Felix and Robin were sitting on the couch after Tinker Bell had said she had something to show them.
“Wow!” Alice said, enthusiastically.
“Fairy’s are real?” Felix commented.
“I have questions. How are fairy’s real? Are you from earth? Are other beings real? Flying would’ve been helpful on so many cons. But we completely understand why you didn’t say anything before.” Robin said.
Alice nodded a lot, still staring in amazement at Tinker Bell’s wings.
“What Robin said. About the questions. And the flying. And the understanding part.” Felix said. And then got up off of the couch and walked over to Tink, kissing her passionately. They separated after a few seconds. Tinker Bell smiled happily back at Felix. They turned to Alice and Margot.
“Other magical beings are real.” Tinker Bell said, and continued answering her questions.
Tinker Bell put the word out to the magical community. And other magical beings, theif and not-thief alike, came to Once Upon A Cafe.
They all worked cons together. Helping people. And the magical community.
Their coffee shop became a hub for humans and magical creatures, thieves and not-thieves, to meet up and make the world a more better and inclusive place.