My room was almost typical of that of a carefree eighteen year old. Clothes were strewn out all over the room, my bed was a wreck, my TV was on and blaring the black and white static symphony, posters hung on my walls of my favorite bands, I had a nifty little lava lamp by my bed, and the carpet was nice cold concrete. Now for the less typical junk. Twenty four carat gold jewelry in a pile in one corner of the room, a completely crossed out hit list of people I wanted to kill, didn't kill them though, a cardboard cutout of Ms. Fox herself brandishing about a shock pistol- oh she was so damn hot in that shot!

Sorry, but I have to distract myself and tell you just how damn hot she is! Her hair was flowing in the wind with one stray strand in her face giving her a sexy allure that begged me to reach out and remove it for her being the romantic that I am, her whole figure was in the shot, and Cooper like! Her collar with the badge was rather inappropriate for a cop but not for her, the skin tight clothing did not leave anything to the imagination, her eyes burned with fire as I had just given her the slip, and her fur was so glossy even in the photograph. What I wouldn't give to have her in my room right NOW! …Um… right.

Okay, back to my room… sorry…. My room also had a storage locker for all my thievery concoctions but that was about it aside from all the pilfered loot.

Despite it being about thirty nine degrees in my cold dank room, I was pleasantly warm and happy. My birthright was now in my hands, perfectly fitted to the mahogany cane my grandfather used before his untimely passing. It cracked many thugs' heads, and it would crack some more now that I had it back. The metal C that was reclaimed last night was the Cooper property that I'd been hunting for since I was sixteen. It signified me as a true Cooper and master thief.

"Hell ya bitches!" I shouted and smashed a rather annoying alarm clock with my new toy. It had been causing problems lately and had to be "taken care of". I marveled at the strength of the metal as the clock was now nothing more than spare parts, broken spare parts.

Grinning wildly to myself, I flopped myself onto my bed and doubted I could get to sleep, so I stared up at the life sized picture of Carmelita pointing her shock pistol at me. Again, I admit my fascination was probably at the point of obsession, but hear me out. The only reason I had that poster was because I used it for a training exercise. Every morning I'd wake up, see her, and quickly jump out of bed. It staved off morning wood, got rid of drowsiness, and I got some eye candy early in the morning.

If you don't believe me then shut up!

Man she looked lovely with that venomous look in her eyes. I half wished it was the real thing, and I wouldn't mind if she used that shock pistol or those handcuffs. She could get a little rough, but I would bear with it just to be with her. Might even enjoy it.

"Oh sweet Carmelita." I said and reached out for the picture. "You'd make a fantastic criminal if only you weren't so Hell-bent on throwing us all in jail."

Right after I said that my fur stood on end and I nearly fell out of bed because of how high I jumped. When my heart stopped racing I opened my phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked in my second persona's voice because it was Al's phone after all. AL kind of sounded like me but he had a less serious and more of a playful voice then mine.

"Hey… Al?" The lovely voice of Carmelita whimpered which brought joy and concern at the same time. Why would she be upset? What was wrong? I had to find out!

"Yeah Carm? What's wrong?" I asked.

"I…" She said and trailed off leaving me in a highly irrational panicked mind state.

"Carmelita, please tell me." I begged, my voice slipping a bit without my knowledge. If she listened closely enough she'd have thought that I sounded a lot like a certain roguish, sexy, uncatchable master thief. People say I toot my own horn a bit but I don't believe them.

"Al, I could really use some company right now." My vixen said and I was already tearing off my clothes.

"Sure. I'll be right over!" I said and we hung up. With my shirt and pants off, I quickly ran to my dresser where my normal clothes were kept. I threw on a pair of navy blue jeans, a black shirt, and a fresh pair of socks before grabbing my dark blue hat and running out the door.

~X~X~X~X~

There came a knock on my door just five minutes after I called Al. I doubted it was him since he lived way downtown and not even if the streets were clear could he make it here in such little time. Yet when I opened the door, my heart leapt to see his handsome face grinning happily at me. I smiled back.

"Hey Sly." I said and nearly bit my tongue off as his grin turned to a smirk.

"Sly? Well I never." I chuckled.

"Well that stupid hat doesn't help me tell the two of you apart." I shrugged and his eyes widened for a moment.

He took the hat off and looked at it. "Hmm, didn't realize I still had that on."

"What, is it a part of you? How can you not realize when something is on your head?" I asked and let him in.

"Maybe it was eating my brain!" He moaned eerily.

"Too late, all the TV and video games did that years ago." I giggled and closed the door behind him. I was doing my best to hide how troubled I was with the orders I had received, and it was so much easier with him here. For some reason I felt alive with him around, and I wanted to share those feelings with Alucard.

"This is true." He nodded and like usual, went straight to my kitchen and began pulling things out. "Remind me never to live with you; you are the worst grocery shopper ever!"

"Sorry I don't have every thing a master chef desires." I said resting my arms on the opened fridge door while I watched him scavenge for supplies. He smiled at my compliment and picked out some vegetables.

"Salad sound nice?" He asked but didn't wait for my inevitable approval. Salad sounded perfect; it was quick, light, and good for me. In truth I didn't feel like eating. I felt absolutely terrible with what I agreed to. Every fiber of my being wanted to run to Sly Cooper and tell him everything before arresting him myself, but I had no idea where he was. Even if I did find him he'd just give me the slip.

"You alright?" Al asked as I had been gloomily staring off into the distance.

Normally I'd have denied any affiliations with the word depressed, but I sighed and shook my head. "Not really Al."

He looked at me with those deep familiar eyes. With that hat, he almost looked like how I envisioned Sly Cooper would look, handsome, bit of a rogue, and just like Alucard. I had often wondered if this was some sick game Cooper was pulling on me, but when I'm with Al I hardly cared. He made me happy and I loved having him for company.

He closed the door and buried me within those brown eyes I loved so much. He got so close to me and looked so seriously concerned.

"What's wrong Carmelita?"

I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't tell him. If I told him we could both get in serious trouble. Instead I remained silent and wrapped my arms around his toned body.

"I can't tell you, just… stay here with me, please." I begged coming so close to tears.

His strong arms wrapped around me and I couldn't help but smile. "I'll stay for as long as you need me Carm." He whispered into my ear as he rubbed my back.

I will never know what compelled me to do it, but I could no longer take it. I loved him; he was so perfect and treated me so well unlike every man before him. Aside from Cooper, he was the only man I could ever see connecting with, and realizing that I looked into his eyes. His face burned red as I got closer and closer to his lips with my own. I felt him tense and his masculine body persuaded me to continue, I truly wanted this.

Our lips met for the first time but it felt so similar to the kiss Cooper gave me that one time in Russia. The similarities were so undeniable but I didn't care, I just pressed deeper into the kiss. Al's surprise quickly wore off and he pulled me closer, our kiss was so strong now.

Everything started happening so fast that I had no idea that when I was in my bedroom and on my bed that I had only my pants and bra on. I gazed up at his perfect chest in the dark and quivered. It was really happening; I had finally gotten Al all to myself. When he moved to take off his hat I stopped him.

"Keep it on." I asked and he only smiled.

"As you wish." He said and crawled on top of me, wrapping me around his finger with another kiss.

I melted and offered no resistance to him as he undressed me further. Why would I? This was something I had wanted for months and I wouldn't spoil it for either of us. My pants slid off and my heartbeat began to skyrocket. This was really happening and I could hardly believe it. Just a thin layer of cloth kept us apart now.

"You are so beautiful Ms. Fox." He whispered into my ear from above me.

"Thank you Sly." I replied without realizing it. In the heat of the moment I wondered why he chuckled like that, but I didn't give a damn as the last barrier was being removed from my body, fully exposing me to his hungry eyes. I burned red and he kissed me again.

"I love when you call me that." He grunted when he pulled away.

"Sly!" I gasped as his fingers sent a shower of pleasure running from the bottom of my spine to my entire nervous system. "I love you Sly! I love you!"

"And I love you too Carmelita." He said as he did it again.

~X~X~X~X~

The lovely Inspector Fox slept in my arms peacefully. Her naturally twisting hair was a mess, as was mine and as our fur. For a while I couldn't believe what just happened. She had given herself to me and I took her without hesitation. Her scent clung to me like a badge of honor that I wore with pride. She was so special to me that I was so grateful that she had allowed me to even touch her.

Was I ashamed that she gave herself to me? Well, kind of. I was lying to her face about who I am and I highly doubted that she'd have given herself to me had she known who I really was. Please don't think down on me for what I did, I never meant for things to go this far, and I lost myself in the moment. That first kiss locked every sense of morality inside of an impregnable fortress that I only got back about five minutes ago.

At least I didn't have to worry about getting her pregnant. The chance of two different species having kids together was less likely then someone breaking into Dynamics' headquarters. Sure I did it, but that was a one in a thousand fluke. Still, Coopers have always been excessively fertile. If any raccoon could get a vixen knocked up, it was me. Regardless, it wasn't like there weren't ways to get rid of the pregnancy. Carmelita has always been a morally bound woman, but I doubt she'd risk losing her job… then again. Maybe she would keep it? I'd be honored that's for sure, and I'd give up everything to be there for her and the baby. All these thoughts got me thinking though.

Maybe it was time for me to give up Sly Cooper and just accept my pseudo-persona, as my father before me. Adam Jenson was his name he had taken on before he was killed. The reason we take on a new life as a normal person was because Clockwork used to hunt us down and we'd disappear when we adopted our new lives, allowing the Cooper line to continue in secrecy. Of course with him dead I didn't have to.

For Carmelita, I'd gladly give up my thieving career. I might have started just two years ago, but for her… I'd give my own life for her.

With that in mind I kissed her on the forehead and snuggled up close to her. She sighed softly in her sleep making me smile. So beautiful, so perfect. After tomorrow night's heist I'd give it all up to be with her.

~X~X~X~X~

My curious nose and ravenous hunger awoke me to the smells of bacon. When I opened my eyes I saw that my lamp wasn't on my bedside table. My right eyebrow cocked and I wondered to myself what could have happened, then it hit me like a punch to the gut.

"Oh no!" I gasped and shot up out of bed only to find myself stark naked with my hair and fur a mess. The numb ache I felt was just the last confirmation. I had slept with my best friend.

It's not that I didn't enjoy it or him, but when you mix sex and friendship you tend to sabotage everything. If you break up you can never be friends again, and I wanted Al to be in my life until I die. He was my rock whether he knew it or not. Without him I'd succumb to life's tortures.

I slapped myself to get a hold over this insanity I was experiencing. I could still fix this, I just had to go out there, calmly explain to Al that this meant nothing and that we should forget about this. But how could I? What we shared last night was amazing, by far the best of my life. How could I just walk up to his face and say, "hey thanks for that last night, but we're done with that and we're just friends again, okay bye".

Putting on my bath robes left on the bed for me by Al, I walked out of my room. My footsteps were inaudible, and the sound of that delicious bacon frying in the skillet must have only helped my stealth. As I drew near to the kitchen I was overloaded by delicious scents that made my mouth water and heart race. When I got into the doorway I saw him jumping from place to place making everything at once.

I smiled because he looked so happy as he worked. All his movements spoke volumes of confidence and skill. He must have seen me in the corner of his eyes because he stopped and looked at me.

For a while we didn't move or talk, we only stared at each other. I wish he hadn't put his shirt back on, I only got to see his chest with my hands last night because the lights went off faster then I could blink. His eyes didn't wander over my body like mine did his though.

"Morning Carm." He said with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Morning Al."

"You remembered my name this time." He chuckled. "Sly Cooper is a lucky man to have you screaming his name like that."

My face turned red and muzzle dropped. I quickly tried to apologize to save face and hopefully alleviate his burned pride. "Al! I- I'm sorry I-"

"Don't be." He said turning off everything and then walked to me. "I rather liked it. It made me feel like him and it's quite an exhilarating feeling being handcuffed to you."

"I handcuffed you?" I asked as our bodies pressed against each other and he wrapped his arms around me.

"For a minute. I got out though and took them off you cause they were kind of tight." He chuckled and kissed me. My initial reaction to resist was suffocated from the explosive feelings that filled my heart. When he pulled away it felt like he had taken something I needed to live away with him.

"Al…" I started as his hand stroked my back.

"Yes Caramel?" He asked using one of my many nicknames he had given me. Normally I detested people calling me anything but Inspector, Carm, Carmelita, or Ms. Fox, but I gave him some slack since I hit him with my car, not to mention last night's ride. When he did it though, I liked it.

"I don't think we should do this." I admitted but he didn't seem fazed one bit, his strokes did not skip a beat in the slightest.

"Why not?" He asked and moved the coiled azure hair from my eyes. His hand was so smooth and warm I almost stopped talking. How was it possible he held me under such a spell?

"We're best friends! I don't want things to get complicated." I explained.

"Is that why you pinned me down last night and-"

"This is serious Al!" I interjected rather rudely. He was trying to be nice and romantic but I was cutting his knees out from under him rather like a bitch. It tore me up but I had to get my point to this wonderful man of my dreams, no matter how painful it was. "I don't want to lose you, and I don't want sex to drive you away from me."

He just laughed and kissed me again. Try as I might, whenever he kissed me I was paralyzed until he let me go.

"Why would it? Carmelita, I love you. If you're worried about me getting tired of you and walking out on you for some other woman, then go look yourself in the mirror again." He reassured.

"Is that why you want me? Just for my body?" I asked, ready to kick him out on a second's notice. I'd been hurt so many times by guys who only wanted to bang me and go brag to their friends.

He looked me dead in the eyes and gently shook his head. "No. That's just one thing of many that makes me want you. I love your laugh, I love eyes, I love your courage, I love accent, I love your free-spirit, I love how smart and resourceful you are, and I love how kind you are. Not many people would give Sly Cooper a second chance like you would."

Funny, I don't remember telling him about that. I cocked an eyebrow at him and my ears flared a bit.

"Al, I don't remember telling you anything like that." I said which made him blink.

"You don't?" He asked which I shook my head in response. "Well you didn't say those words exactly; you just said that he'd make a cop."

"That doesn't mean I'd let him walk on his crimes." I pressured. If he really was Sly Cooper I'd find out now. He'd walked into a trap by saying something only I and Cooper knew. To be honest, I really wouldn't be able to handle him being my nemesis. The thought of the only one to get away posing as my best friend would destroy me.

"Perhaps yes, but I know that you'd see the good in him and would help him out. Kind of like when that little kid stole that video game and you set him straight. You didn't haul him off to juvenile hall, and you wouldn't throw him in jail and swallow the key."

"You don't really know that." I said moving away from him.

"Don't I?" He retorted. "Carmelita, you're the world's top cop, you of all people can see a lost cause a mile off! Cooper is just a kid in way over his head that needs you to set him straight."

Had I known what I know now, I'd have asked him to take off his shirt. A Cooper mark was all the evidence I needed and I'd have hauled him in to HQ without a second's notice. It would save him from certain doom at the hands of Interpol. Yet the effects of his charms and the deeds from last night clouded my judgment and I let him off.

"Okay Al. You might be right about that." I sighed and kissed him.

He grinned at me. "Great! Let's eat, because I don't know about you but I'm starving!"