Chapter Twenty-Six: Back To Work

"So, how was your sleep Isabella? Did seeping in the same room as Murray work out for you?"

The raccoon drifted towards the turtle, rubbing her eyes. Sunlight rays came in from the patio, brightening the area. Bentley was sitting at the table as he was typing in his laptop. Isabella yawned before she replied.

"It was okay... if you call good sleep staying up most of the night to his snoring."

"A heck of a sleeper he is..."

"Bentley, I have to ask you something."

"Ask away."

The raccoon sat in the medal chair next to the turtle, normally the seat Sly would sit in. Her eyes dropped as her mouth frowned. She was facing Bentley as she played with her fingers. "Am I really Sly's sister?"

Bentley's eyes widened, turning himself to the raccoon. "How could you doubt yourself?! I remember Sly telling me how amazing Cooper moves you can do! He was amazed because only a Cooper can make those moves. Of course, he told me this before he knew you were his sister. You can do something amazing with music! Each Cooper had their own unique talent. I believe you are a Cooper, I see many similarities with you and Sly. What stops you from believing you are Sly's sister?"

The raccoon looks at Bentley's eyes, seeing through his cracked glasses.

"It's just... when Sly was disappearing... why didn't I disappear with him?"

"I saw your right ear disappear before you went to take down Penelope. I didn't want to say anything about it until it became serious. I didn't want anyone to draw attention to it or make anyone fuss about it, especially when we were about to stop the problem from happening. You're is back to normal anyway, just like Sly."

Isabella grabbed her right ear and sighed. "Okay I guess..."

Bentley turned back to his laptop but sees a fox close Sly's door as she walks towards his position.

"Good morning sunshine! How was your long sleep after not sleeping for days?"

The fox stopped walking as she rubs her head. "Well, I can feel some relief, other than that... not much different."

"Cool! Well I have food in my lab next door if you want any. Hopefully Murray didn't eat all of it. There's also a bathroom in there as w-"

"I'm leaving, Bentley." Carmelita interrupted.

His eyebrows raised, not expecting Carmelita would say that soon, especially leaving Sly.

"Wait... now?"

"Bentley look at me!"

The fox pointed her hands at her body. "I feel like crap, my hair is a rat's nest, I have dark eye circles..."

She grabs her black dress. "I've been wearing this dress for, what a week now?! I didn't take a shower for that long, I haven't slept in my bed and I'm an Interpol Inspector! People need me! Plus, I can't stand to watch Sly like this anymore. I can't live like that... Please understand Bentley..."

Bentley's face relaxed and nodded in agreement. "We'll contact you if something new happens to Sly..."

She looked down and places her hand on her other arm. Isabella watched Carmelita's actions and expressions as she thought to herself. "Wow, I could only imagine what she's going through..."

Carmelita looked back at Bentley as she shakes her head. "No... please don't. I don't want to be reminded of all this. Don't contact me unless he does wake up. I'll be at work and my home, making my normal living. I can't love anyone else than him, and I can't seem to be one-hundred percent satisfied without him awake. It's better than him gone... Now that I know he's breathing and alive, I can move on... I have to go Bentley."

"Okay..."

"It's actually... a little nice working with you guys..."

The fox looks over to the raccoon. "...and it's really nice meeting you Isabella. I wish you good luck with all of this..."

"You too Carmelita... you too."

"I hope he wakes up soon... Well I guess I'll go now. Say goodbye to Murray for me... I can care less about the rat."

"Goodbye Carmelita." Bentley croaked.

They watched the fox walk into the hallway to open the door. She looked back, her lips moved sideways as she sighs, and left the room closing the door.

Bentley and Isabella looked unhappily at each other. The raccoon looks at all the items on the table. "Where is Penelope anyway?"

Bentley looked at his computer, both of his eyebrows were together, tilting upwards. He made a tired and hopeless tone to his voice as he replied. "Penelope is in the lab, either sleeping or looking around."

"You have a bed there too?"

"Yeah, normally her and I would work all day and night on whatever we were working on together. Eventually at some point we would pass out on the bed. We did have a great relationship... I'd like to have that again. Sly didn't sleep in his bed in the hideout for years. We all really went our own separate ways. We've been together since the orphanage... until we made out our own ways."

"Wow..."

The raccoon looked at the turtle, watching him type on his computer. "Could you tell me times you three had together? I'm a little curious."

His fingers paused as a smile grew on his face. His left hand closed the laptop and turned himself towards the raccoon. "Well, it all started seeing that little eight year old raccoon first enter the orphanage doors..."

. . .

Carmelita opened the navy blue door to her house. She entered her house and everything still seemed normal. Her big maroon sofa lies its back against the dark purple wall. In front of it was a stained wooden rectangular coffee table. The sofa was facing a TV about three feet wide and two feet tall. It was black and thin, and stood on top of a wide end table. A window with blue curtains is on the wall facing Carmelita. In the corner next to the TV and window was a dark rose-red recliner. Paintings hung on Carmelita's walls, and the floor was a night sky color rug. There was a grey DVD player next to the TV. This was her living room.

To Carmelita's right was the door to the laundry room. The fox closed the door behind her as she enters the doorway to the left of her. She entered the kitchen, judging from the sink in the top left corner of the room. The sink is built inside a cupboard below it. The counter tops were white marble and the walls are covered in white and black tiles, making a pattern. The right of the sink stood a black oven. To the left of the sink was a shiny dishwasher. The hard floor is made of big white tiles. To the right of Carmelita was a dining table for two. The chairs were black and had bars on the back for the person's back support. The table top was clear and clean, big enough for two people to eat at.

Carmelita rushed out the kitchen through the doorway, in the top right side of the kitchen. In front of Carmelita was the back door of the house. To her right stood a purple wall and to her left was a stair case. "I need to go in the shower before I go to work..."

The fox ran up the dark wooden stairs and entered a bedroom. She had a queen sized bed with a blue blanket. Next to the bed was an end table. On top of it lies the diary Carmelita found and her alarm clock. "Wait... that must be Isabella's diary! It all makes sense now. I should return it someday..."

Two window doors are located on the right wall, next to the bed. Those two doors led out to the patio, which give a view of Carmelita's backyard and other buildings. Next to the left side of the bed is a door that leads to the bathroom. To the left of Carmelita was a dresser that held her uniforms and casual clothing. On top of the dresser was a mirror, jewelry box and a CD player. The fox looked at the bathroom door as she made a sigh escapes her mouth. "I need to go to work..."

*Later*

The fox has sat in her office for over twenty minutes now and there are still no new files of crime. "I've been gone for a week now and still no crimes? Wow..."

The fox had shiny and clean orange-brown fur. Her long, shiny, and curly blue hair smelled like lilac. She was wearing her normal uniform, boots that almost reached her knees, navy blue skinny jeans, dark blue midriff-baring bra top that zips in the front, blue choker which her Interpol badge hangs from, a light brown leather jacket and yellow gloves. Her tail was slowly, calmly and swiftly waving her tail.

Carmelita saw her work phone on her desk blink. "Five missed calls, and each with a voicemail! Who could that be?"

Carmelita curiously pressed the voicemail button and listened to the messages.

"Hey Carmelita, it's Paxton."

The fox rolled her eyes.

"I just want to see how you're doing... Also I'd like to know if you'll ever return my ro-"

Carmelita skipped the message.

"Just calling again to see what you have done. How's the rock doing? Can you please return it? Is it that hard to do so? Why did you take it?-"

Carmelita started to growl as she skipped another message.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I got upset with you a while ago. Are we still together? Please answer... I want to know what you did with the rock!"

Carmelita raged with anger as she turned the phone off.

Suddenly, her office door is slammed open, making Carmelita jump in her seat. She turned to see her friend, Rachel. Her big, worried eyes stared at Carmelita as she spoke with an agitated voice.

"Carmelita! I heard from the other officers that they saw you come in! You have been gone for almost a week!"

The tiger went in the room and slammed the door, still looking at Carmelita. "Without any notice you were gone, we were about to send our policemen to find you! Where have you been?!"

Carmelita showed a mild-overwhelmed expression on her face, trying to answer. "Sorry Rachel... I had to... work on important detective work with other policemen. It was such an emergency that I forgot to call in with you guys. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"Really? Paxton told me all about the time you left him. You must've been really angry to take one of his artifacts. I knew you would get hurt again!"

"I left because I got annoyed with him loving his 'precious' artifacts. I never got hurt because of him. When I left his house I was called by...the Interpol headquarter."

"Oh... okay..."

Rachel sighed, calming down a bit. "I'm sorry... for the last time we talked. I'm sorry if I made you too upset. I thought you left because of Paxton and I."

Carmelita smiled at the tiger. "Well I didn't. That would be unprofessional as an Inspector to just leave for that reason. I'm no longer interested in Paxton, and I'm back here for good."

Rachel smiles. "Thanks Carmelita. Oh, you do remember that tomorrow we are celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Interpol, right? You were the one to arrange this party to happen."

Carmelita hit her hand against her forehead, closing her eyes. "Right! I can't believe I forgot! Thank you for reminding me Rachel. I'll be there for it."

"Good!"

The tiger sat on Carmelita's office desk. "So... Paxton is available right?"

"No, he's dating his artifacts."

A little giggle escaped out of Rachel's mouth as she grins. "He didn't seem that bad as a man when we talked. So... tell me more about Paxton..."

*If you do see any mistakes or I don't explain something good enough, please tell me. Other than that, have fun with this chapter and the next four! You're gonna want to read those. I know the story must be short but I'm making a continuation soon! Four more chapters to go! :D*