Constable Sly Cooper straightened his black satin bow tie, looking at his scrawny awkward reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall he was facing. He sighed, giving up on his tie and he ran his gloved hands over his slicked back hair, putting a stray gray strand back in its place. He had been waiting for this night, the perfect opportunity to spring his trap on his Interpol partner, hopefully binding their hearts with the gold band he frequently fingered in his right pocket. Sly turned to the white marble staircase, his mind on the only woman in his sights, who happened to be standing at the top of the stairs: Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox. Their eyes locked, but only for a moment, for the seemingly fearless Latino vixen evaded his gaze, keeping her eyes on the steps before her as she descended.
Sly pulled his shaky, sweaty-palmed hands out of his pockets, his knees weak at the sight of the Inspector he had admired for years, dressed in a form fitting, deep red dress, her long, navy blue hair worn down in loose curls along her back. As she neared the end of the staircase, Sly moved slowly toward her, the two of them meeting at the bottom step. Sly looked into her deep auburn eyes, a grin quickly spreading across his face.
"I was beginning to think you had forgotten me down here." He said, gently taking her hand and raising it to his lips, kissing it softly. Carmelita smiled as he pulled back, reaching into his left chest pocket. Sly pulled out a ruby red rose, its velvet-like petals the same shade of red as the dress she wore. Sly reached up toward her right ear, tucking a lock of hair behind it before weaving the thornless stem through the navy sea, the bud of the rose resting comfortably near her face. Carmelita stepped down on to the glossy floor, taking Sly's right arm, her hands resting in the crook of his arm.
"Thanks, Constable." Carmelita said quietly in his ear as he led her down the shining white hallway, the surrounding patrons peeling their eyes from the expensive artwork hanging on the walls to gaze at them in awe and surprise. Carmelita flushed nervously, tightening her loose grip on Sly's arm. Sly turned his head toward her.
"What's the matter?" He asked, a hint of genuine worry in his voice as he placed a shaky hand on top of hers.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Carmelita said, smiling up at him, then gazing down at his shaking hand. "You're trembling."
"I'll tell you later." Sly said, patting her hand reassuringly as they entered the ballroom through the large oak doors. Sly nodded respectfully at the guards holding the doors open, but the second never met his gaze, instead watching Carmelita intently. Sly eyed him with a slight glare as the two of them passed through the doorway, his date taking no notice.
Sly took Carmelita to the edge of the dance floor, where they were greeted by several higher ranking officers of Interpol: Chief Barkley, a Saint Bernard native to Paris, and several Chief Inspectors from around the globe, including a trim wolverine that went by the name Sleager. Even while speaking to the other officers in the room, Sleager never let his eyes wander away from the less talkative pair.
After what seemed like an eternity of pointless banter, with his date ever present at his right, Sly found a gap in the Chief Inspectors' communication with Carmelita, and he gently pulled her away from the group. He subtly pulled his arm away from her grip, but quickly took her hands in his. "May I have this dance?" He asked her, trying to look her in the eyes without much success, his eyes drifting downward. Before they moved too far, Carmelita swiftly put two fingers under his chin, lifting his head so he would look up.
"Think you can keep up?" Carmelita shot back playfully, running her nails along the underside of his chin, smoothly flicking his nose after they ran out of neck. Sly grinned at her, the two making each other more relaxed as they made their way on to the dance floor. Sly left Carmelita for only a moment, whispering a few words to the small band in the corner of the room. The lead trumpet player, a tall male Golden Retriever, nodded at Sly, and passed the word to the others in the band. Sly started to walk smoothly toward Carmelita when he shifted his feet and slid along the glazed tile, skidding to a stop next to her, placing one hand on the small of her back and taking her right hand with his left. He casually leaned her back off her feet, smiling down at her.
Carmelita looked at him with surprise that quickly melted into amusement as the band started to play a lively Spanish tune. Sly swiftly pulled Carmelita to her feet, holding her close, their muzzles almost touching. Sly winked at her, throwing her into a flurry of complicated steps in time with the music. Once the rushed guitar slowed and Sly toned his dancing down to an almost awkward shuffling, Carmelita eyed him suspiciously.
"Since when did you learn the Samba?" She asked as they evaded yet another couple who had joined them on the dance floor, along with the dozen or so other couples.
"What do you think I do with my free time? Steal?"
"What?" Carmelita asked, stopping in her tracks. "What did you just say?"
Sly scrambled for an explanation, or a cover up for his accidental slip. "I said… keel!" He said suddenly, the hesitance in his voice a dead give away. Carmelita raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Like keel over and die!"
Carmelita breathed deeply in annoyance, closing her eyes for a few moments before returning to Sly's awaiting arms, deciding against her against her better judgement. "All right, I trust you." She said, and Sly winced slightly, a twinge of guilt fresh in his mind as he heard her words. He wondered for minutes during the slow dance whether or not Carmelita had found out about his continuation of his faking his amnesia, ever since the incident at Kaine Isle six months before.
After Sly had gotten hit by Dr. M, he had supposedly gotten amnesia from the blast that had been meant for Carmelita when she arrived in the Cooper vault. She had run over to his motionless body, slung one of his arms over her shoulders, putting a hand on his side to help him out of the cavern to the awaiting helicopter she had sent for minutes earlier. She had dragged him into the chopper, setting him down on the bench at one side of the helicopter, just as the Cooper vault started to collapse. Carmelita bandaged his wounds as he asked numerous questions about his supposedly forgotten past, and she had reluctantly fed him lies she made up as she went along. Sly had felt the same pang of guilt every day since, especially when he had stood outside the Chief's door in Paris, while Carmelita tried to convince the Chief that he had forgotten his 'crime-filled' past and told the Saint Bernard that it could be the perfect opportunity to start a new life within Interpol, where they could use his skills. He had been set up with an apartment right across the hallway from Carmelita, so she could keep an eye on him and help him whenever he needed. Starting at the position of Constable, Sly had worked with Carmelita on nearly every case he had tackled, the dynamic duo quickly building their reputation, and in turn, their emotional relationship developed to the point that every free weekend Sly would take her out do a nice, romantic, expensive dinner, usually spending more than half his weekly pay on her alone. Sly smiled, remembering those bitter sweet few months, his happiness mixed with guilt.
"Sly? Sly, the song's over." Sly shook his head, shaking his daydreams from his eyes as he looked down at Carmelita, who stood awkwardly with her hands intertwined with his sweaty, gloved ones. He quickly let go, swiftly wiping his hands on his thighs.
"Whoops, sorry." Sly apologized quietly, slowly gathering up his courage as he looked back up to Carmelita, who was rubbing her hands together. Sly sighed deeply, putting a brave face on. "Hey," he said. Carmelita looked up instantly, attentive. "Can I talk to you outside?"
"Sure." Carmelita replied, walking beside Sly to an open glass door, leading out on to one of the many porches hanging off the side of the building, the one they approached being on the third floor. Sly stood by the glass doors inside as Carmelita passed him, walking out to the railing, resting her elbows and forearms on the cool metal. "So, what's this all about?"
Sly shut the doors, preventing any eavesdropping from the others inside. He walked slowly up behind her, sneaking his arms around her midsection, catching her off guard. She stiffened slightly, but soon relaxed, putting her hands over his clasped ones as she looked at the full moon on barely above the treetops surrounding the palace.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, smiling, almost sadly. Sly nodded, but then shook his head slowly, pulling away reluctantly to stand next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, turning her gently toward him.
Sly sighed again, taking Carmelita's hands. "You and I have know each other for years now…"
"But it's only been six…" Carmelita started, but Sly put a finger to her lips, and she fell silent.
"I worked for weeks on this, so…" Sly said, clearing his throat. "We've each done things over the years, probably more me than you, that we're not proud of, and we've not done things that we wish we had earlier on," Sly got down on one knee, still holding her hands. "And I definitely wish we could have gotten to this point a lot earlier on, but I wanted to ask you…"
He paused, for dramatic effect, seeing tears start to surface in Carmelita's eyes as he reached into his pocket for the ring. Just as he touched the band inside his coat, he spotted a lone figure a few buildings away, shaped like a wheelchair. Sly recognized him immediately and winked at the figure before looking back to Carmelita, who now had a confused look on her face.
Sly put a finger to his lips silently after he had pulled the band from his pocket, enclosed in his tightly clenched fist. He moved to raise the ring toward her hands…
And a blue flash shattered the glass door, striking Carmelita head on, sending her crashing into the railing, out cold. She landed roughly face down, a single cut across her cheek from the glass fragments that now lay around her, oozed a drop of blood down her face.
"Carmelita!" Sly yelled in a panic, turning her on to her back, slightly feeling the invisible electricity from the shock blast that had taken out all the lights in the ballroom. Screams and yells resounded from inside as Sly gently picked Carmelita up and looked into the dark room, trying to spot the shooter. With the room so dark, even with the moonlight, he saw no one, only hearing their yells of terror and alarm. He pulled out his cane, which had been hidden in the back of his tuxedo, and hooked it on to the railing, leaping off the porch, carrying the paralyzed and unconscious Carmelita into the night, leaving the expensive and precious engagement ring behind.
Sly sprinted across the rooftops of the Paris slums, keeping to the shadows and away from the patrolling cops. The cop cars had departed from the Interpol Station in the middle of the city after the attack at the palace. Sly occasionally looked down at Carmelita, making sure she was still breathing and everything, being his overprotective self. After some time running, the two arrived at the front step of the place Sly never thought he would come back to: his gang's old Safe House. Sly opened the door quietly, poking his head inside just as a small finger jabbed him in the back.
"I didn't think I'd see you around here again." The nasally voice said quietly, and Sly turned around to face Bentley, whose arms were crossed and a half disapproved, half amused look on his face.
"Didn't think I'd be here again either." Sly said, shrugging with an awkward grin on his face.
"It was pretty dumb bringing a cop here, you know." Bentley said, wheeling past Sly in to the Safe House.
"I know, I know, but she got hit with the wrong end of the shock pistol. She needs help." Sly said, walking behind Bentley inside. He gently set Carmelita down on the old, roughed up couch in the middle of the 'living room', then walked slowly over to Bentley's side, setting his cane against the wall behind him.
"She needs rest, that's what she needs. And she needs to rest somewhere else." Bentley said, growing angrier with every word. "If she wakes up in here, she's going to report us for sure, and me and Murray aren't going to be the only ones they arrest, you know."
"I don't know about her waking up any time soon, though. She got hit pretty hard."
"I don't care! I want her out. Now." Bentley said forcefully. He wheeled past Sly, running one wheel over all ten of his toes on the way over to the couch. Sly grit his teeth, bearing it without a sound. Bentley sighed, resting an elbow on the arm of his wheelchair, looking down at Carmelita's motionless form on the couch, her chest rising and falling with her regular breathing.
"Oh, come on." Sly said, making his way over to the back of the couch, resting his arms on it, looking down at her with a grin.
"No, Sly, I'm putting my foot down firmly on this one." Bentley said, turning to him. "I won't let you uproot Murray and I out of our temporary home, especially over a cop."
"Speaking of wonderful women, where's Penelope?" Sly said, trying to change the subject.
"She's back in Holland, visiting an air show." Bentley said, shaking his head. "I couldn't go because of my chair, but it wasn't such a big deal. Now, when are you getting the Inspector out of here?"
Sly sighed, putting on a pout as he looked to Bentley. "You're going to put out an injured woman out on the street in her condition?"
Bentley put a hand to his chin, looking up and thinking. After a few moments, he looked to Sly again. "Yes."
Sly rolled his eyes, his pout dropping from his face. "Fine, I'll… I mean, we'll be going then." He made his way around Bentley to the other side of the couch, carefully picking Carmelita up again. She groaned softly in her sleep, muttering softly to herself before falling silent again, Sly making his way to the door with her. Sly cast one last glance back to Bentley before opening the door with one hand, and walking out. Bentley shook his head and rolled back to his desk, typing mindlessly on his computer.
"That raccoon is going to get himself in to so much trouble one of these days…"
Sly walked casually down the streets instead of taking the rooftops as he made his way down the street toward their brick red apartment building. He opened the heavy front door with some difficulty, but managed to pry it loose and walk inside the cool, air conditioned building. He took the elevator to the second floor, walking over to Carmelita's apartment first. He patted his jacket, then remembered that he didn't have the key, but she did. Sly grit his teeth, reaching over to her belt that she wore under her dress, knowing that she always had two things in it: her shock pistol and the key to her apartment. He felt along her waist, reaching in to the small pouch that hung from it on her right side, up against her leg.
Carmelita lashed out suddenly in reflex, painfully tightly grasping his wrist. Sly moved away from her belt, the key in between his finger and thumb, and she let go, her arm falling limply to her side as she continued to sleep. Sly exhaled slowly, not realizing he had been holding his breath the entire time as he forced the key into the door lock, turning it with a series of clicks. He removed the key and opened the door, setting the key on the table next to the door inside the apartment. Sly carried Carmelita over to the couch, setting her down gently, then he pulled up a chair from the nearby kitchen and sat next to her, waiting for her to regain consciousness.
Sly soon fell asleep, slouched in his chair and hours later, Carmelita woke up, sitting up on the couch, a blanked draped over her. She groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. "Where…?"
Sly sat up, instantly awake. "You're in your apartment, don't worry." Carmelita squinted at him, then rubbed her eyes, swinging her legs out from under the blanket and setting her feet on the floor. She winced, feeling the still open cut on her face, and put her hand down, starting to get up.
"I'll be right back…" She said, holding on to the arm of the couch for support, still slightly dizzy from the shock blast's impact. Sly put a hand on her shoulder, easing her down gently back down.
"I'll get a bandage." He said, smiling at her. "You just feel better." He started toward the kitchen when he paused, turning back to her. "Uh… Where exactly are the bandages?"
Carmelita laughed slightly, pointing to a cabinet near his head. "In that one, bottom shelf."
Sly nodded, grinning. He turned to the cabinet and opened the door with a slight creak, then found the band-aids, the entire container in French. "I can't read this," he said, walking back over to Carmelita with the container of band-aids. "But I think I know how to work these things." She smiled as he sat down next to her, opening one of the bandages.
Carmelita turned away from him, exposing the cut as he carefully aimed and tenderly pressed the bandage onto it. Sly smiled at her, but she looked down at her feet, frowning sadly. "You need to leave."
"Wha-?"
"Just get out, Cooper." Carmelita snapped, turning away from him. She hadn't used his last name for months. It wasn't a good sign in Sly's book.
"Why?"
"I know what you've done." Carmelita said, turning to him, tears running down her cheeks. "You've been lying through your teeth to me for six months!" She glared at him with an icy fire that Sly could recognize anywhere.
"I did it for you, though." Sly said as she stood, her fists clenched tightly. He stood and stepped back away from her, hands up in surrender. "I just wanted…"
"GET OUT!" Carmelita yelled, picking up random objects and throwing them at him. He ducked and dodged numerous knick knacks, including some heavy books, candlesticks, and a wooden clock that smashed on impact with the wall. "USTED HA ROTO MI CORAZON POR LA VEZ ULTIMA!!" She screamed, moving to the kitchen, Sly tensing for another barrage.
Carmelita moved to the island in the middle of the small kitchen, pulling out a drawer full of cooking utensils and held it under one arm, using the other to pull knives of every length to throw at Sly. His eyes widened as the long knives struck the floor and wall near him, narrowly missing his limbs. Finally, he started swiftly toward the door. Carmelita dropped the drawer and leaped over the island, sliding on one side as she pulled out her shock pistol in the process.
"AND DONT COME BACK!!!" She yelled at Sly as he ran out the door, closing it behind him as a shot hit it, slamming it shut.