Chapter 25

The Break, & The Slip

Disclaimer: Thanks everyone for the reviews, and those of you who have messaged me thanks as well. I got to admit that I didn't think that I would get this far with this story, but I have, and you guys know what. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you, all of you, so thanks for reviewing and telling me what you guys thought. Alright, now to business. As you all know Carmelita is still pregnant, and for all you guys and gals who have been waiting, I'm going to let you know that in two chapter, we will all get to see the two new additions to the Cooper Clan. I am just as excited as you guys are, so please remain patient and it will be out as soon as I can, hopefully in four weeks or so. Also, a bit of a surprise with how Silver was in the last chapter right, what do you think? Anyways, this chapter is going to be just as interesting as the last two, so sit back, grab that summer soda, and enjoy. JFR.

It was sometime in the early morning, where it seems most of this story has taken place, sometime in the night or in the morning. It was a Sunday morning and it was all peaceful in the remaining hours of the night. It was a clear star lit sky outside, the snow had stopped falling some hours ago, and the gray oppressive sea of clouds had gone away. Besides that it was a calm morning, only the wind hadn't gone away, and there wasn't much, really just a heavy breeze.

It had been four days since Sly had talked to his brother and he hadn't gone back to see him. There was still a lot of work to do, which he would have preferred not doing. It was all paper work and no fun, and he would have enjoyed being in the streets, and doing patrols. The only benefit to being at the station and stuck in Ms. Fox's office, was being with the vixen herself. That was enough of an incentive to make him tolerate the paper work. She had stopped going out into the field nearly two weeks ago, and just stayed in the office, deciding it was better if she did. And Barkley let her do that without any protest, knowing it would be for the best.

Carmelita had started to get really, well not strange or weird, but well a bit…..odd. It wasn't completely like that, and Sly knew, but she just didn't hang around the co-workers she got along with much anymore, and she spent a lot of time with him. He didn't mind but she had become more protective over herself then she normally was, she didn't like people going near her stomach, unless it was her mate or son.

Whenever someone stared at her for too long she got paranoid, and sometimes she snapped at them, most of the male officers had stopped making moves and staring at Carmelita but a few did, and these were the ones she mostly kept snapping at. Hormones, and her natural maternal instincts for her children weren't a good mix, well they were, but not when her hormones were all over the place. At least in a few months it would all be over, but then the real fun started, but Sly was ready for it, or as ready as he would ever get, and he knew his mate was as well.

To put it all together, it had been an interesting first year working for Interpol, a lot had happened and he had done a lot of good for the law. Though now that this fiasco with Silver was over, he could finally concentrate on what was important, his son, his wife to be, and more importantly Interpol. He was quite frankly tired of the stalking him everywhere, keeping an eye on him. This was to be suspected, of course it was, but he had had enough of it. He hadn't done anything, and them watching him, and his family was starting to wear out on him. It would have done that to anyone and they should have enough decency to at least give him some trust.

He opened his eyes slightly, and was met by the dark bedroom, and some strands of his vixen's cobalt mane. The male listened to his mate's light, rhythmic breathing, and felt the slow rise and fall of her frame in his arms. He used his hand which was around her to rub her stomach gently, knowing that it made her smile, and that always made him smile. He heard her soft purr as he continued to caress the bump that had grown. It was all perfect, peacefully quiet, in the same bed with the women he loved, being a father, he wouldn't give this up for the world, it was selfish, but his family meant a lot to him, and he would do anything to insure their safety and wellbeing.

He planted a kiss on the back of the female's head, and breathed in her scent, the smell of it was like an addictive drug to Sly, and he couldn't ever get enough. It was her natural scent, not blocked by any perfume or soaps, or anything else, just the way he liked it. Tonight though it was stronger than it had been the night before because of the activities they had taken part in with one another earlier that evening, when Leon was tucked into bed and fast asleep. They had kept it quiet, but it was still filled with as much passion as their first night together intimately.

From how peaceful the vixen was in his arms, he knew he didn't disappoint. His hand traveled up from her bare stomach to her where her heart was, and felt it beat against his open palm, he smiled and felt strange. To him, it just felt strange to feel his mates heartbeat, it felt like she was so fragile, like that beat, so soft, and so small. He knew he couldn't hurt her, but he just felt strange when he held his hand to his Carmelita's heart. At the same time it was just as soothing and peaceful to lull him to sleep. The only other person who had that effect on him was his mother when she held him and his brother close to her heart. Just listening to his mothers heartbeat always drove him to sleep.

He removed his hand from her chest, and brought it back to her stomach. He gave her another kiss to the back of her head, but this time he whispered so softly into her pierced ear, "Love you my gorgeous Carmelita," her pointed ears twitched and he felt her tail tighten around his and she wiggled in his hold to press her back further into his chest.

"Love you too, my handsome Sylvester," she breathed out happily. This took him by surprise, he thought she was asleep all this time.

"You're just as sly as me, you know that love," he chuckled, resting his muzzle atop her head.

"You've rubbed off on me," she giggled softly, placing her hand over his on her stomach, and proceeded to rub up and down his forearm with her claws, making him shiver with the pleasing touch. "How was last night?"

"It was…..breathtaking," he smirked from his own comment, and he could feel her shudder as she laughed. "I didn't know that you could go four times in one night. We haven't done something like that…. since, well our five-year anniversary," he let out a tired yawn and he closed his eyes tightly, loving the warmth he shared with his mate. There was the night he proposed to her, but they could only go twice, before they fell asleep from the exhausting night.

"Did I wear you out Ringtail?" she asked teasingly.

"You always do," he chuckled, having a feeling where this leading to. "but…." he couldn't finish as she rolled onto her other side to face him, and press her muzzle against his, pushing her tongue into his mouth. He was caught off guard for a moment, but he started returning the sudden passionate kiss in earnest. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, and felt a hand rest behind his head, so to deepen their French kiss. His hands traveled over his partner as their muzzles were locked in passion, till a hand rested on her rear, and the other in the middle of her back.

They pulled away a couple of minutes later, gasping for breath as quietly as they could. The last thing they wanted was for Leon to walk in on both of them, without any clothes on and making love. He was still young, and even though he had mentioned that he had seen men and women doing things like that by accident, they didn't want him to see any more of it, mainly because it could mess him up and also it would be embarrassing for the three of them. Not to mention, he was still too young to be seeing things like this.

"You talk too much, mi amor," the vixen breathed before giving him a brief but deep kiss.

"You're too impatient sometimes, mon amour," he said doing the same, but giving her rear a hard squeeze at the same time making her moan in the kiss. When he pulled away, she was giggling.

"Can't…..can't keep your…..your hands off me, Sly?" she said finding it hard to say anything as she was still chuckling.

He flashed her his renowned mischievous sly grin, and looked down from the same look she was giving him. She lifted the comforter up a bit so he could see her breasts. He stared at them, transfixed, and he pressed his muzzle in between them, with an evil smirk. He didn't do anything, but nuzzle them affectionately. She laughed, and when he pulled way, she shook her head at him.

"You're so damn ridiculous sometimes, you know that?"

"Only when I'm with you," he replied suavely, in that romantic voice he saved for her.

The vixen pressed her forehead against her raccoons, and closed her eyes. "I'm never letting you go Sly, I've got you and I'm not letting anyone take you away from me," she said.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he said rubbing her back, his eyes closed as well. The passion had gone down, but neither of them were disappointed by that.

The coon opened his eyes first, and gazed at the beauty in his arms. Whatever made him worthy to be with the women he was holding, what had given him the privilege to let her be the one to be assigned his case all those years ago. He didn't know, and he didn't care, all that mattered was that they were together. He pulled the comforters back up it was up to their necks, keeping the cold away. He licked the tip of her nose and then kissed it softly, before resting his forehead against hers again.

Sly asked in a soft innocent tone, "Do you want to go another round?"

"No, not now, maybe later tonight if we get time," she smiled, knowing that he wanted to please her before himself. "I think four times is enough for one night, and I'm a bit sore," she said, a grin forming across her muzzle.

"So how was it?" he asked softly, he normally didn't ask but he wanted to make sure he hadn't hurt her, due to her being pregnant and all.

"Considering I was begging you to go for the last one, what do you think?" she asked opening her eyes. Her beautiful hazel ones looked into his warm chocolate ones.

"I don't know, why do you think I'm asking you?" he chuckled, not being able to help it.

The vixen just shook her head at the slightly younger male, and titled her head slightly and kissed him again. It didn't get too passionate, and they just meshed their lips together, enjoying the closeness they hadn't shared for a couple of months, and they both had to agree, it was worth the long wait. When they pulled apart, one of Sly's hands was now stroking her tail, which had tangled itself with his again. He started from the base, and made his way as far as he could. It was just as sensitive as his, and she purred, looking at him contently.

She spoke through the pleasure of her tail being stroked by the handsome raccoon. "You too much of a gentlemen, I love you Sly?" she purred, snuggling her head underneath his muzzle.

"And you are an intelligent, beautiful, caring women," he thought about it for a moment but stopped, thinking of something different to say. "You know what, come here," he wrapped his arms around her, and even though she was pressed into him, he pulled her closer into an embrace, being ever careful and vigilant of the bump that held their kits. "I love you so much, I don't think I can live without you. I don't want to ever leave your side, I want to be with you till the end, and even when we have died, I'll be with you even then, I'm never leaving your side for another women. I love you Carmelita, and that will never change," he said, and he felt his neck dampen, and knew that she was crying.

"Sly….that was beautiful, and I love you just as much," she said happily, with tears running down her cheeks. Sly, kissed her forehead, and brought her into another close embrace. When the vixen and calmed down, he was rubbing her back, tracing the curved of her spine, and she was running a hand alongside his muzzle. Neither of them said anything, and found no reason to break the content silence between them, just being as close and in each other's presence was enough.

They both started to slowly drift back to sleep, but the phone started ringing loudly on the vixens bedside table. It had most likely woken up their neighbors across from them, below, and above them, and it had no doubt woken up their cub. There was a soft thumb and a pain mixed tired groan from their son's room. Sly could hear him muttering about something, and a soft whimper, probably landing on his tail.

"If that is some tonto el culo long distance call, or some maldito company trying to sell us something," Carmelita growled angrily, as Sly reached over head and grabbed the ringing phone, it had made his ears start to ring and deafen somewhat.

"Cooper residence, Mr. Cooper speaking," Carmelita slapped his arm, and he stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"Inspector, It's Chief Barkley," Sly's sudden attitude died and he became serious, as he was talking with his boss. Carmelita heard the gruff voice of the badge, and just buried her head into her mates chest. Why did he have to call when they were enjoying themselves, or when they were going, or in the middle of sleep.

"Sir, It's," he looked at the clock. "….it's two in the morning sir," he said in a groan.

"I know what time it is," the badger snapped angrily. "I'm sorry that's it's your day off and that I woke you two up, but there's something you got to come and see, get down to the station and I'll explain to you what's going on, it's bloody hectic down here," he growled.

"Sir, do you want Ms. Fox coming as well?" he asked, already starting to get out of bed, much to the annoyance of the vixen, who was losing her comfortable pillow and main source of warmth.

"No just you, and I want you down here in the half hour, do you understand me Cooper?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I'll be there in twenty," Sly nearly growled in annoyance, but kept it down. He was getting sick of being called out of bed on his days off, but being an officer of the law required this. He just sighed and got out of the bed when he put the phone back. Carmelita stood out of bed wobbly, but Sly placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her on the lips.

"No, just me love, you stay here and get some sleep. I'll be back, well when I get back,: she sat on the edge of the bed, completely exposed in front of him, but he kept his attention o what was to come. "Barkley sounded….angry about something, not like he isn't about something sometime in the day," she nodded and got back under the covers, watching him getting his gear on, shock pistol, vest, coat, boots, cane and all.

Cooper blew his vixen a kiss as he stepped out of the door and started walking down the corridor when his son's room opened, and Leon stepped out, rubbing his eyes. Despite the time and his angered mood from having to get up this early, he couldn't help but to smile at his son. The young boy noticed his father in his full gear and his tired grimace changed to a tired pout.

"Dad, is something wrong?" he mumbled.

"No, Daddy just has to go to the station and see his boss," he crouched down and gave his son a hug and kissed the top of his head. "I'll be back soon, so go back to bed alright," he coaxed the boy back into his room and the cub nodded, still not happy about this. The phone ringing had woke him up.

"Love you Dad," he said softly, as he was standing in the door frame to his room.

"Love you too Leon," he patted him on the head and ruffled his hair, making his son giggle and smile. Sly nodded to the bedroom and Leon nodded sadly and closed the door.

Twenty five minutes later…

Inspector Cooper walked through the doors of Interpol, when he saw something red on the floor near the entrance He crouched down next to it, and he could smell it, it was weak but he could easily tell it was blood. He looked behind him and opened the door seeing some dark crimsons droplets leading to where a car had been parked, but he saw some glass on the pavement. This sparked his curiosity and he had some suspicions about what had happened, and this worried him. He closed the door and continued walking into Interpol, following the blood trail, and it led to the elevator. He was about to head over there when suddenly.

"Inspector, the Chief wants to see you in his office," a wolf with a gray pelt called over to him.

He changed his direction and headed to the badger's officer, not suspecting what was in store for him. When he stepped into his bosses office, he found the older man pacing back and forth behind his desk, grumbling about something, while smoking a cigar at the same time. Sly closed the door, a bit louder than he meant and the badger glared at him.

"Sir, I got here as…."

Before he even got done the chief was on his ass and yelling. "DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH SHIT WE'RE IN AT THE MOMENT, COOPER. YOUR FUCKING FAMILY IS GOING TO GET EVERYONE AROUND HERE FIRED!" Sly naturally took a step back, as he felt a bit threatened by the short but yet still threatening little old man.

"Sir I just got here, I don't…." again before he could finish Barkley interrupted, but this time he came at Sly and slammed him against the wall, having a pair of hand cuffs out and a shock pistol out.

"Now I'm going to ask you some questions. If I think you're lying to me, you and me are going to have a little ride over to a secure jail, understand?" he growled menacingly. All Sly did was nod, not knowing what the hell was going on. He had gotten into tight spots and fights, but he wasn't going to risk a fight with his boss, not since from what he heard and seen. He had seen Barkley knock a much younger and bigger rookie, about a foot taller than Sly and ripped with muscles to the ground, when he had to help out at the academy for a couple of weeks with Carmelita and the same badger.

"Where were you between 11 pm last night and 1 am this morning?"

"I was in bed with Ms. Fox," he said, not going into detail. Barkley, studied his eyes, and body language carefully, and it was a good thing to, because if Sly had of lied he would have been able to tell easily, Sly was terrible at lying. He could sneakily avoid an answer, by being, slick, sly, and persuasive, and in a way he could lie, but it held just as much truth.

"Did your brother ask you to help him get out of jail, or did one of his contacts call you, or did you come here sometime yesterday afternoon and give him anything that could help him to escape?"

"No, sir," Sly asked, truthfully, but confusion in his voice.

"Do you know where Silver is?"

"No,"

"Is this yours?" Barkley pulled out a letter.

"No sir, I gave that to Silver when I talked to him, it was just a letter from our Father," he said innocently. The badger had been waiting to see if the raccoon would screw up that response when he asked about what was in the letter, but that was as much as he needed. He was becoming less suspicious of Sly, and started to ease his grip, but he was still on edge.

Barkley studied him closely, before asking one more question. Something the real Sly Cooper would know.

"When did you and Ms. Fox start to have a secret relationship?"

"A month after we defeated Clockwerk the first time, sir," Sly said carefully, his voice laced in confusion still.

The badger's grip lessened and he let go of Sly, returning to stand behind his desk. "Sorry about that Cooper, I didn't know if it was you, or if I could trust you," he said sincerely.

"I understand sir," he said not annoyed in the slightest, he probably would have been in the same kind of mood, but been more discreet with it. "What is going on around here? From what I've heard and guessed Silver has escaped, yes?"

"Yes he had, but you need to see something," he walked out of the office, and Sly followed him to the monitor room. There were some other officers going through some surveillance, and arguing about something. Sly already knew what happened but he still felt light-headed, not believing that his twin had escaped, in from the H.Q of Interpol no less. This was going to be all over the news later that morning. It wasn't everyday when Interpol slipped, and this was a pretty big slip.

The old badger sat down in a chair and started looking through footage till he found what he was looking for. Sly had been watching the screen of the monitor the chief had used and was studying it carefully. The footage wasn't that great, and it was hard to make out detail in places, but he could see Silver clearly enough, who at the time was lying on his side in his cell. Barkley fast forwarded it an hour and all that changed was a guard walking up and down, the cells, and Silver tossing and turning in his sleep.

Barkley stopped it around 12:47 AM, and that's when two guards came over to the only occupied cell. One opened it and went in, while the other had his shock pistol pointed at the raccoon, who was asleep. The one who went in aroused Silver, and he got up and got his hands behind his back and cuffed, like he was ordered to do, he was guessing, because there was no sound. The two officers then led him out of the cell, but before they had made it a couple of steps away from the cell, Silver had slammed one man into the wall with his shoulder and kicked the other away, he then quickly was able to jump and get his arms, which were still cuffed back in front of him, not longer pressed against his back.

The officer he had kicked away he grabbed by the scruff of the shirt and slammed his head into a cell's bars, and the man collapsed, again, this time unconscious. The other guard seemed to have yelled, and was suddenly kicked in the side of the head. Silver then quickly grabbed the guards shock pistol and took down a third with a blast from his newly acquired weapon.

The fourth officer seemed to yell a warning, but Silver shot at him but missed, the other officer returned fire. This officer though was not using a shock pistol but an actual gun, Sly could only tell, because he saw the end of the muzzle flash, a small blurry projectile go out the side, and he saw silver, stumble and take a step back as it…..well he believed it impacted his through the edge of his ribs and exit through the other side. Silver shot the officer down with the shock pistol, he fell to one knee, and he hunched over, and most likely screamed in pain, or the pain had driven him to his knees, Sly didn't know for sure. The injured raccoon then limped over to one of the beaten officers, found a key and then un-cuffed himself. The rest of the recording was just him taking the elevator up, running through the mostly empty first floor that was the lobby. He only encountered, three more officer, who were taken down by shock bolts, but Silver didn't linger or anything, all he did was push open the entrance door and then went outside. He stumbled into the street and headed toward a car, and then broke a window, he got in the vehicle hotwired it and drove off, all the while leaving a small trail of blood, which Sly had seen.

Sly, at the present moment in time could care less about what happened after the shooting. He was amazed, horrified, and also angered. Amazed that his brother had been able to perform such an easy breakout. Horrified about seeing him being shot, and angered because the officer that had done it was using a live gun, and instead of going for the knees or the foot, he tried to kill Silver. Sly took a step back, and leaned against a wall with a hand steadying him, and other he used to wipe the remaining sleep he still had in his eyes, and to clear his thoughts, to make sure what he was seeing was real.

Great, Silver is gone, he's been shot, and probably bleeding somewhere. Not to mention that he escaped, assaulted a couple of officers, and now no one can seem to find him. And he just did grand theft auto. He thought to himself, not really amused by any of this, more annoyed by it all.

Inspector Cooper hoped his brother was still alive, and hadn't died by bleeding to death or crashing his car into traffic or into a wall if he fell unconscious. He wouldn't say this to his boss or anyone else around in the station, knowing well what their reactions would be. He didn't help with this break out, but still, he was sure if he voiced his opinion on the matter, then they would suspect him assisting the escapee.

This still didn't answer why Barkley wanted him down here, so he asked.

"Chief, why am I exactly down here?" he asked repressing a yawn.

"Well Cooper, I wanted to know if you knew where he would go, or where we should go to look for him. It's also up to you if you want to go look for him again, what do you say?"

"Sir, I don't know where he could have gone, or have any idea where we should look," he lied about the first part, knowing where Silver was going, he probably went to a hospital first, got stitched up, and was now on a one way ticket to Russia.

The ex-thief thought about the second part, what Barkley had asked him. If he wanted to go looking for him again. It was his duty as an officer to bring criminals into justice, and he was about to answer with an affirmative, but then he stopped himself and closed his mouth. Why should he start this whole crazy chase all over again? Silver had escaped, and everyone was expecting him to go after him. For once he was going to do things by the book, and he had his answer. He was tired of working his ass off, and then it coming down on him around here. It wasn't his fault Silver escaped, it was the officer moving him who had been clumsy and stupid enough to move him with two guards, not four like one was post to. If Interpol wanted Silver back, they could get him themselves.

"Sir, I don't want to be assigned this case again, I'm too close to the criminal, and with all respect sir, the last time I went after him I was shot, nearly killed numerous times, and it put too much stress on me and my family. It is also law not to have someone related on a case involving a relative, I think I have broken the law enough times sir, I don't want to add something else to it," he said slowly, feeling sure of himself. He gave a tired smirk after he was done, knowing that it was going to probably piss the badger off, and for once he didn't care.

Barkley looked him up and down, and just shook his head. "Well Mr. Cooper, I'm surprised, you not breaking the law, I thought you would have jumped at the idea," the badger said in a humorous tone. "But since you don't want the case, then I have no more use for you to be here, you can go home now," Sly stepped out of the room, and Barkley followed, and grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered.

"Cooper, it was wiser for you to decline this time, I'm not so sure what Interpol would think if you went after your brother again after he escaped. Also, your right, you're not post to be involved in a case involving a relative. But if I find out that you are helping your brother in any way, I'm warning you now, you better be on a plain somewhere Interpol can't find you. You understand me?" he said in a low growl.

"I understand sir," he said in the same undertone.

"Good, now go home, there's nothing else for you to do till Monday morning, unless something comes up, dismissed," he felt his bosses hand underneath his coat, and felt the older man's hands fumble around, and when he withdrew and walked away to his office, he felt something in one of his inner coat pockets. He didn't take it out here, knowing that chief wouldn't just sneak something off to him, just so he could pull it out in the open. Sly heard a slam from his bosses door, and knew that Barkley was going to try to figure this whole thing out. He felt sorry for the old man, he had to deal with so much crap around here, and was still suspected to bring criminals to justice.

Cooper left the building feeling confused and his emotions in a mixed conflict. He was tired, he was still confused from what had exactly happened this morning. It could all wait till he woke up later that day, he wanted to get home and get the rest of his sleep, and then he would worry over this. Not exactly worry about it, it was somebody else's problem now, and that was alright with him. Silver had escaped, and he couldn't blame him, he had a family to take of, and a son to help raise with his wife.

Thinking about Silver, Sly reached into his coat pocket as he closed the door to the car and settle into the seat. It was the letter from his…..their father. It had some writing on the back which hadn't been there, and Cooper could only wonder if the chief had, or hadn't noticed this. He probably didn't or he wouldn't have given it to him in the first place. It was short, but this is what it said.

If you are reading this, then you are still a free man and you haven't been caught with this little piece of evidence. Also it means that I am far away by now, and have made another escape from the law. I just want to wish you luck in life, and to tell you to keep your eyes and ears open. Take care of yourself, your wife, and your kids. Don't try to contact me, I will contact you, if you do then you will surely be caught and be in the shit with Interpol. So, hide this, don't tell anyone, and also, I love you little brother, but you can be a pain in my ass.

That's all it said, no more or less, and Sly looked as well. It was scribbled quickly, but that was all that was needed. He tucked it back into his coat pocket, and started driving back to the apartment complex he currently lived at with his family. It had been yet another crazy start of a Sunday morning, and he felt like it wasn't going to be the last.

Even with everything that had happened and had just transpired, Sly hoped that his brother was okay. That he had gotten proper medical attention, and that he had figured a way to get home. To his family. He didn't care anymore about the case, what had happened. He wasn't like other cops who came from the academies, he never would be. Deep down, he was still a master thief, born a criminal. Sly had made a promise to Carmelita, he wouldn't go back on his old ways, his father had stopped being a thief when his brother and him had been born. Leon didn't deserve that, Carmelita didn't deserve that, and his yet to be born cubs didn't deserve that. He needed to be a husband, a father, and to be there.

It was one thing that the two brothers shared in common. They both cared for their mates and their children. And that's why Sly could relate to Silver, they both had a bad past, both of them. Even though they both had seen bad things, had to survive in the worst case scenarios. The two of them though shared one thing that outweighed the rest, they both would do anything for their families, just like their father. Their father who had given up his life for them, to do everything he could to protect them from his enemies, from people who would hurt them.

Sylvester, couldn't tear his brother from his family, he had already done it, and he had no inclination to do it again. Was it wrong? Well there was no doubt in that, and he knew it. Sly looked outside of the window of the car he shared with his mate. Some snow fell very lightly, and the clouds to the sky were very thin, and one could see some of the stars which were peaking through. It was a new day, Silver was gone, he wasn't going after him, and he had a family to take care of.

Speaking of which, he should really start heading home, it was around four in the morning, so the sooner he got back, the sooner he could cuddle up with his vixen. He turned the engine on, and pulled out of the stations lot. He was tired and he wanted to go home, there was nothing he could do, and Silver was probably halfway through security at an airport, or on his way out of France. It would be the last time he saw of Silver for a very long time.

With Carmelita…

The vixen didn't have much on her mind at the moment, just sleep. She was still tired from the activities last night with her raccoon, and she was also a bit sore but the pain was hardly noticeable. She couldn't help but to chuckle inwardly, the two of them had in no lesser words attacked each other, they were rough but they were both used to it. The vixen was glad it was a Sunday, she didn't have to go anywhere, or do anything, well maybe make sure Leon was okay. Though he normally didn't get out of his bedroom till eleven, due to him staying up till ten on Saturday nights. It didn't matter to her, only on school nights did that become a problem.

She turned and faced her mates side of the bed, he had been gone for the last two hours, and she had been on and off of sleep since he left. It was just hard to get some sleep when he wasn't here. A tired yawn escaped her, and she buried her head further into the comfortable pillows. She could still smell her mates scent, it was duller but it was still ever-present. Even though he had left hours ago. She couldn't ever get enough of it, but it wasn't as good as having him here next to her. Her eyes were barely slits, as she struggled to keep them up, wanting to wait for Sly to show up. It was hopeless, and the exhausted vixen fell asleep, but before she did she scooted closer to the half of the bed Sly normally slept on, his scent helped her sleep, tricking her mind to thinking the raccoon was here.

Maybe ten minutes had gone by, but Carmelita's eyes blinked open, as she was pulled away from sleep as she felt a pair of toned arms wrap around her. She already knew who it was, his scent still had a strong trace of them, and other things. She snuggled her head underneath the males muzzle, and took in a fresh sniff of his scent, and let out a relaxed sigh. Memories of the night before came back to her and she purred happily, having been more than satisfied.

The vixen felt a purr come from the raccoon, as she started to rub his chest fondly. Carmelita didn't even bother to open her eyes anymore, knowing who was in bed next to her. Though she wanted to hear about what was going down at the station at this hour in the morning, not like there was never anything going on, but them being called at this time had become increasingly uncommon. Giving him some time to decompress and get used to being home, she remained silent, the only noise was their breathing and content purring, and the occasional moan or growl as one of them caressed a tender spot.

A good quarter of an hour passed by, and Sly was starting to fall back to sleep, just as exhausted and a tad bit sore as his vixen. The sleep would have to wait a few minutes as the raccoon heard his lover whisper softly, in a slight teasing tone.

"So….what happened down there, hmmmmm?"

"Not much," he half lied to her, not wanting to worry her or get too much into work this early in the morning.

She nipped underneath his jaw line lovingly, though she was a bit frustrated. "Barkley doesn't just call us for something small," she bit into his neck, knowing it would hurt him. He looked down at her, and she smiled, or for not much."

"I know," he stated, and only said that, he nipped her muzzle and she winced from it, but it wasn't actually painful..

"Sylvester," she coed to him, rubbing his chest with her claws, digging them in only slightly so it was soothing and not painful. He rolled onto his back and she cuddled into his side, causing her back some discomfort but she didn't care. He felt her head rest onto the right side of his chest. She continued scratching his chest, and still had her eyes shut, a small smile on her lips. He rubbed her back, knowing that she still had back aches.

"I don't know my vixen, you can have quite the attitude sometimes," he mumbled, knowing that this could go either way. The hand that wasn't around her waist, was brushing her long mane.

"Depends what the news is," she mused. "And I'm not that bad."

"I don't know about that," he had a grin which she couldn't see. He chuckled and she did as well. "…You see….." he struggled slightly, not used to her being so calm. "….to put it in lesser words, Silver broke out of the jail, was shot, and no one knows where he is." Carmelita's eyes snapped open and she looked up into her male's eyes, a disbelieving look in her eyes.

"What else happened?" she asked, not sure how to take this. Months of hard work for the both of them, gone, and now it had all been for nothing.

"Barkley gave me…..us a choice if I…..I mean us, for us to go after him again….." he paused, and she was giving him a small, glare. He brushed her muzzle with his own, closing his eyes.

"What did you tell him?" she asked in a whisper after she returned the affection, already guessing the answer. Now more months of hell, and a moody Sly, not that she minded Sly being stressed, when he just became his grumpy, distant self.

"I told Barkley…..well I declined, we're not on the case again," he admitted, still rubbing her mane, but at the same time his arm around her, had tightened a bit.

She looked up at him, and she smiled kissed his chest, before closing her eyes and resting her head on him again. This confused Sly, he was expecting her to…well be angry with him.

"Well this is a first. Normally you're mad by this point?"

"No, why would I be Ringtail?" she breathed into his chest fur, making a ticklish shiver run across his body.

"I…I don't know anymore, this is a first for you. I thought that maybe that you would want us to go after Silver, you know upholding the law," he mumbled, resting his head back, against the pillows.

"It's best to let him go, you spent all that time to arrest him, and then he breaks out so easily," she growled angrily, as he stopped brushing her mane. He chuckled and continued to stroke her. "It's time to concentrate on what's important, but are you worried about him, and where do you think he will go?"

"I'm worried about him, but I don't think we'll be seeing him for a long time, he has his own family to be worrying about," he kissed the top of her head. "And I think he has the right idea with that," the vixen opened her eyes, and stared into his, picking up on his idea.

"You can be so corny sometimes," she giggled, and that made his smile grow.

"Love you," the raccoon cooed into her ears. He felt a hand sneak around the back of his head. Carmelita pulled Sly into a passionate kiss, as she scooted up to him. She made it last, and when they pulled apart, they were panting.

"Love you too," she breathed, snuggling into his neck, feeling herself slipping back into sleep. It was near five in the morning, and they hadn't gotten much sleep. They had only been asleep an hour before work called. It had been a long night for the couple.

"How are you doing?"

"Go to sleep Ringtail," she mumbled as she started to drift off to sleep, not wanting to delay sleep any longer. "We can talk later."

From how tired she sounded, he would leave it for now. "Good night love," he closed his eyes, falling back into a peaceful sleep. The second to last thing he thought about was, where Silver was, and he hoped that he got back to his family, if he wasn't lying about that, which he doubted, Silver seemed to be honest, and the pictures seemed real enough.

Five days later…...

It was around noon on a Thursday, and Sly was yet again at the office, alone. Carmelita had to take a day off today, because her mother and father were passing through Paris, and she was going to get lunch with them. She had been very nervous to see her parents again, and she seemed like she didn't want to go. Sly was able to convince her to go see her parents and try to work everything out. Finally, even with them having a silent argument, she agreed but had been rather ticked off with him. He was able to cheer her up by tickling her to death earlier that night . He could still hear her ragged breathing and see the tears in her eyes, he had gotten her good.

I hope everything's alright with her. He thought to himself as he looked over Silvers records. He had been able to find out more about where his brother had gone and what he had done after he had been arrested. Silver helped surprisingly had helped, he gave Sly information and he looked up the right records, the right documents and contacted the right people. His brother had been around the world quite a bit, just like him.

The document he was reading didn't really matter, or hold any interest. It was just something he was reading, mainly because he was bored out of his mind. He wished Carmelita was here, but he was glad she was with her parents, hopefully reconnecting with them, and getting along. He had lost his parents, and that was something he didn't want for her, true his had died, but Carmelita had always gotten along with her parents, but when he came into the view it ruined that relationship between them. She told him it wasn't his fault, but he didn't think that, he felt guilty for it.

"Well, it only noon, and I don't see this day getting more exciting than this," he got up and went over to the couch, and slumped down in it, but he whacked his head against the wall by accident.

"God…fahhhhh," he growled and rubbed his head. Why did this have to happen to him. He settled into the couch, and shut his eyes, which had begun to hurt from all the reading he had done that day. At this rate he was going to need glasses in a few years time. Looking at computer screens and at documents all day was going to strain his eyes at close range. He didn't know how Carmelita did it, but she had, and for years at that.

He opened his eyes and looked at the couch, and he chuckled to himself, remembering some of the times he had shared with Carmelita on this couch. Not all of them were from this year either. He had sneaked into Interpol quite a few times, and spent a couple hours or so with her. Sly never stayed with her all night when she refused to leave, because she was on edge as it was with him there, but she had been more than likely grateful, from what he could remember. But his memory wasn't the greatest in the world. One such time came to mind, but before he could dwell and reminisce on such things, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called out loudly.

Cooper," Barkley greeted as he opened and stepped into the office.

"Sir," Sly got up, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I was taking a break, and you normally call If you need to see me," he explained.

"I'm not here to talk to you about work," he sat down on the couch closest to the door, and leaned back letting out a growl. The ex-thief stood where he was, not knowing what to do.

"Cooper, take a seat, you're off work for the moment as we talk," he said in his normal gruff voice.

The Inspector sat down on the other end of the couch.

"I think Ms. Fox had the right idea, having a couch in the office it's a good idea," the chief said in his normal tone, which sounded on border of frustrated.

"Not to take offense Sir, but why are you here for?"

"Straight to business, I thought that there would be other things on your mind, like why didn't I just arrest both you and Carmelita, when both of you told me that you had a secret relationship. Or something along those lines?"

"Well, I was curious about why you didn't arrest us, or report us to your superiors?"

"Well that's one of the reasons why I am here, but we'll get to that letter. But first off, as you probably know the law is a bit corrupt, and I didn't want to lose my best Inspector. And besides, you already have enough on your record as it is, and you've proven to be a good cop around here," he placed a hand on the raccoons shoulder, much like a father does to a son.

"Thanks sir," Sly said smirking. "So what else did you need to talk to me about?"

"Cooper, what I am about to tell you is completely confidential, and not to leave this room, you understand," Sly nodded, curiosity rising up within him. "Well to put it shortly, I'm being forcefully retired from Interpol," he said, in an emotionless voice.

"Wait, you're being fired, and why?" Sly was shocked, to get rid of Barkley, that was insane, he was one of the main reasons why Interpol was doing so well.

"Well fired wasn't the way my superiors put it. They described it as for all my hard work and years of service, that I should be spending more time with my family, and not chasing criminal scum. I don't disagree with spending time with my family, but being fired, that's going too far, I've been working here since I was in my thirties, and now…..ehhhhhh," he growled in disgust.

"Why are you being fired, Sir?" Sly asked, not understanding why this had to be said in secret.

"You're brother, when he escaped that was the last mess up for Interpol, so they needed someone to blame so they chose me, and you," he spoke tiredly.

"Why me, what have I done?" he asked, not in shock, suspecting something like this, but still he hadn't done anything.

"They suspect that you assisted your brother in his escape in some way. I tried to convince them that wasn't the case, but that was one of the final straws that got me fired. So they're replacing me with a new Chief Investigator, and believe it or not he's worse than me," the old man leaned against the back of the couch.

Great, this is just great, so what's my punishment in all this?" Sly said cupping his head and shaking it, hoping that this was a nightmare.

"Chief Investigator Sheppard Buell Mclane, that's your punishment. He's a gray coated wolf, in his mid thirties, and is a ex- Kommando Spezialkräfte. He's been working with Interpol for years, and now that I am out of the picture he's going to be in charge," he explained.

"How is he my punishment exactly?"

"Unlike me, the Superiors of Interpol will be monitoring you much closer than before. So one slip up and you go to prison, no trial, no prosecution, no parole. Sheppard will be the one in charge of you, and I guess that he will try to make you screw up. I don't know all that much about it."

"This is just perfect, like I'm not being stalked enough?" he said in dark humor."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, for starters you're a good cop and I have come to respect you since you started working for us. Secondly, Mr. Fox and I were the ones who found you all those years ago on an attic floor, curled up into a ball. You were alone, afraid, angry, wishing for death, no parents. You were utterly alone in this world Cooper, and we both felt sorry for you," Cooper looked at the badger with a curious look. "I didn't mean to open up old wounds, but I want you to understand that we respected your father as a person. And Even though you became a big pain in the ass for everyone in Interpol and other departments of the law, we cared for you like uncles did, but I still had to treat you harshly as was my job as an officer of the law, we couldn't just let you get away with this. You need to understand that I even considered letting you join Interpol when you couldn't remember who you were because I respected your father and through him you. Also I saw that you could help us a great deal, which you did."

"So you saw me as an asset?"

"For a while I did, but over time you became a man I could rely on to get the job done, and one of the few dedicated officers here."

"But why tell me this, when you know that there could be worse consequences in store for us, I mean you're not the Chief here anymore."

"I'm still the Chief till next week, but after that my belongings have to be packed and my office has to be cleared. But I am telling you this, because I am suggesting to you to leave. Go somewhere else with Ms. Fox, settle down with your family, and keep your head low. And I suggest that you go somewhere which doesn't have a bounty on your head."

"That is the only thing that I've ever been good at, and that is hiding and running away from the law," the coon chuckled.

"It has always been one of your many unbelievable skills, Barkley said getting up," he stood up to leave and he had his hand on the door and turned his head to look at the Inspector," he gave him a look over, and still couldn't believe that Cooper was wearing a police uniform and had been here for so long.

"If I were you Cooper, I would convince Ms. Fox to go along with you, and to be packed up and gone before I'm fired," he turned around, and outstretched a hand to the Inspector. "If this is the last time we talk, it's been good having you work for Interpol."

Sly took the hand and shook it firmly. "It's been good working for you, sir. Thanks for not arresting me, and for giving me a paying job. Good luck in life Mr. Barkley."

Cooper saw for the first time Barkley smile at him, true it looked strange, but all the same it was still something unsuspected. "People like you make your own luck, I simply abide by the law. Farewell Mr. Cooper, and take care of Ms. Fox," he said and left the office, leaving a raccoon who was deep in thought.

"Trust me when I tell you this, they will stab you in the back soon, just for suspecting that you have helped another criminal or done something they don't like. If you want my advice, go somewhere where they can't' arrest you. They'll probably give you fake charges, and anyone will believe it, but it's just to tie up loose ends and to make them look better." Silver's words came back to him, and he hated to admit it, but he was right. Interpol was stabbing him in the back, he was just another loose end that needed to be tied up.

Well like the rest of my ancestors, it's time to go somewhere else, I've worn France out, so maybe somewhere that the Coopers haven't been to. He thought to himself, there was one place he had in mind, that wasn't completely true, he had a few countries in mind, but one stood out, he would have to call Bentley when he got back home to see if he knew. And he would have to talk to his mate about leaving France, forever.

Hours Later….

"So how did things go with your parents today?" Sly asked softly, nuzzling Carmelita's neck.

The couple were sitting close together on the couch in their apartment's living room. They had finished dinner with their son who had gone to his room to play in his room for a bit, leaving his parents to talk about more adult matters. It was nothing serious, but the two both needed to talk about things that didn't concern him, well one matter did, but that would come with time. The T.V. was on and playing the First 48, but neither of them were paying it any attention. It had been a long day for all of them, including Leon, but every day was long for him, he preferred to be with his parents then at school.

"It went alright, Mama has finally accepted all this, us," the vixen rested her head on his shoulder, sighing tiredly.

"What did you guys even talk about? I got home before you did and that rarely happens," he rubbed her stomach absentminded protective way, which had become habit when he was around his mate. "If you don't mind me asking that is?" he teased as an afterthought.

"We mainly talked about you," she rolled her eyes annoyed about how they couldn't drop her choice in a mate. "But Papá was able to get mama of the topic," she tightened the arm around his middle.

"Carm I," he had started but she stopped him with a soft growl and said. "Don't say you're sorry, there's nothing to be sorry about. I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose you, so that's that."

"I just wanted to say I love you," he said chuckling a bit.

"Sorry. I love you too," she murmured back. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Hmmm," he had to tell her sooner or later. "I have something to tell you, and it's about work, and us, and I can tell you know that you're not going to like it." The vixen took her head off the raccoons shoulder and looked up at him, with a serious look in her eyes, knowing from the tone in his voice, that there was a problem.

A half hour had passed and Sly had told her everything that Barkley had told him, and what his brother had warned him about. To say she took in lightly would be a big understatement. She didn't want to believe him at first, and she had started arguing against him. She had said he was lying and that Interpol wouldn't be so corrupt, or go to such measures. He had only been able to convince her by telling her that the chief had told him, and that she could call him, or she could simply trust him, because he had never lied to her. I hadn't been anything he hadn't suspected, he knew that she was a devoted cop, and that she was stand up for it. Once she had calmed down and gone to a less aggressive tone, she was wondering what they were going to do, and what he had planned or was planning.

"Sylvester, what are you going to do?" she asked afraid of the answer. He wouldn't just pack up and leave without her and their son, would he?

"You mean what are we going to do love?" he smiled fondly at her and brushed the hair out of her face, so he could look into her beautiful hazel eyes, which he could always get lost in, and feel loved in. She snuggled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. Knowing that she was feeling afraid, something he hadn't seen for a long time, and as always he did what he could to make her feel safe.

"There's nothing to be afraid about, I'm here, and I always will be, I promise, but there's nothing they can do to separate us," he spoke softly, and a smile spread to his lips, and he started to tell her what he was planning, as he rubbed her back lovingly.

"I called Bentley today, and we both discussed where I haven't and where I have gone, and where would we be safest. he told me he's going to Holland with Penelope, and Murray has decided to go to America and take a new identity. That leaves us," he slipped a finger underneath her chin and lifted her head up, so he could look at him. "How does Australia sound," he grinned at her, giving her a tender kiss to her forehead.

She laughed, nervously. Not believing his choice of location. "Why of all places Australia Sly?"

"Bentley did some research for me, and after my gang and I saved that reservation in the Outback, the government decided to drop the gangs and my record from there. Also I have never stolen anything from Australia, because I never spent enough time there, and I've never really been interested in stealing anything from there. So it would be the safest place for us to settle down with our family," she nipped him on the neck, affectionately, listening to his reasoning and liking the idea. "I think this would be a good place where we can live together with our kids, and not have to worry about being prosecuted if I behave, and Interpol hunting us down. Mainly because of the fiasco of Interpol bringing mercenaries down there. If any Interpol agents are found down there they are arrested and sent back to Interpol, they don't really appreciate us down there," he explained, before he asked. "What do you think? Going south and somewhere hotter than here. I want you, Leon and the other two when they're here to be happy and safe."

Carmelita Fox smiled at her fiancé, and gave him a brief but passionate kiss to the lips. "That sounds great Sly," she said in an anxious tone. "But are you sure, to leave all this behind, your home, your friend. Are you sure?" she asked, feeling a bit scared about this entire change.

"I wouldn't be sure if I was asking you," he rubbed her stomach tenderly, picking up on her change of mood. "I will miss Paris, but I'll keep in contact with Bentley, Murray, Silver, and the rest of the gang, I mean it will be hard to see each other face to face, but you guys are more important right now," he spoke. "Anyways, your home isn't your home if you feel trapped. Interpol has made it too difficult to live here."

"Sorry for getting you dragged into this Sly," the vixen apologized.

"It's not your fault love, you didn't plan on this happening, you wanted to keep me safe, but Interpol wants me safe behind bars, there's a difference," he smiled at her mischievously. "So what is your decision Carm?"

"I would ask you to give me a day or two to think Sly," she intertwined her hand with one of his, and looked at them happily. "but I think it's time for us to move on with our lives, Interpol doesn't need me anymore, I already caught you," she laughed softly to herself not believing she was going to run away with the Sly Cooper . "Si, I think this is a good idea."

"I'm glad you think so love," he said happily. "Barkley is going to give us a week off, so we can pack and get tickets for a flight ready, and start getting ready to move. Murray will be over tomorrow sometime to help us start packing, he has an old friend who can help us get our stuff to our new home, but first we're going to have to look for a home to buy before we get there."

"Still planning this as we go along are we dear?" she teased, with a sly smirk. "And how did you know I would say yes?"

"Where's the fun in always planning ahead for everything, sometimes you have to make it interesting," he said with a purr. "And I only knew because I love you as much as you love me, so I knew you would say yes," he rubbed the side of his muzzle against hers playfully. She returned the affection and the two closed their eyes, both excited about their plans and new life together.

Goodbye France, and hello Australia. Sly thought to himself, and his mate was thinking exactly the same.