Chapter 9

Carmelita began to talk…talk as she hadn't with another person in a very long time.

"Well," Carmelita began, thinking aloud. "The chief problem---so to speak, at least---is my boss."

"Oh, why's that?" Sly interjected, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, looking curiously her way.

Carmelita felt herself holding back, despite her desperate need to tell someone, anyone what was troubling her. She felt decidedly odd in using Sly Cooper, her enemy, her opponent, her pain-in-the-derrierre as her confidant. Why should she be telling that troublesome raccoon anything about herself? she demanded. Not surprisingly, she knew the answer…even if she didn't particularly like it. Whether she wished to admit to it or not, Sly Cooper was the closest thing she had to a friend, yes a friend…beside Kitty, that is. He, more than anyone else, shared a history with her, so he could understand just where she was coming from on a large variety of issues. Also, despite her protests…she also acknowledged that he probably understood her better than anyone else outside of her immediate family. And, so…here she was, an almost virtual prisoner in her arch-nemesis' home, and yet could feel her defenses crumbling as she sat there. Maybe it was because---for once!---Cooper was quiet, not bothering her with his typical flirty blatherings (not that she secretly didn't enjoy that!), and oddly attentive to her…almost like he---nah, that couldn't be it---cared about her. Carmelita swallowed hard at that thought, feeling a tiny crack in her mental defenses…wondering if, maybe---just maybe---there was someone in the wide world that actually cared about her. Just her. That thought made her heart lurch, making her feel temporarily lightheaded for a moment.

Maybe, just maybe, she conceded that moment…I really can confide in him. Well, she told herself as she felt the mental pressure finally burst within herself, freeing her tongue…here goes nothing… "Interpol's been taking a pasting---public relations-wise---from my not being able to bring you in, Cooper," Carmelita stated plainly, openly. "And, that means Interpol's top brass is leaning, and leaning hard on the Chief. Well, Chief Rob is a top-notch detective, mind you…but he just doesn't have what it takes to be a politician too. So…I'm pretty sure you can see the source of my troubles…"

Sly nodded. "I get it," he proclaimed. "Chief Rob's under pressure to put me behind bars---to stem the embarrassment his office has been experiencing. And…since you, lovely lady, are the detective assigned to my case, he dumps all his troubles directly on you. Am I right?"

Carmelita slumped, her eyes troubled. "Oh, yeah," she answered glumly. "Every time the brass ups the pressure, the more he vents at me." She frowned then, obviously frustrated. "It's not fair! I'm the best detective he's got…and all I get is his scorn and ridicule!" she exploded verbally, anger and pain in her remarkable eyes. "Besides you, of course…I've got a perfect score---100 percent arrest and conviction rate. The best in all of Interpol! But, does that hold any water with the Chief? Oh no!" She simmered a moment before continuing, glad to finally get all this emotional poison out of her system. "I've come within inches of giving him my resignation more than once. After he's chewed my butt off, of course." She looked at Sly, expecting some saucy comment about her behind…but thankfully, none was forthcoming.

"Gee, Carmelita," Sly then opined. "That really sucks." He tapped his chin a couple of times thinking. "Can't you go to his superior and complain?" he then added hopefully.

"I could," she conceded, but then added. "But, I won't. I'm the fourth generation Fox to work in law enforcement, Cooper. I won't ask others to fight my battles for me. No, I'll handle it myself…or I'll quit!"

"C'mon, Carmelita," Sly argued, putting a sympathetic hand over her own, without really thinking about having done so. "Everyone, even the legendary Carmelita Fox, needs help now and then. What about your new partner? Could she help? You know, be a witness to your boss's unfair harassment?"

"Cooper," she growled, though with a great deal less confidence now. "I don't want to ruin Kitty's career…just to help my own. You should know me well enough by now to know I just wouldn't do that sort of thing."

"Carmelita," Sly said with a sense of exasperation, gently squeezing the tempermental vixen's hand. "That's some of your problem, you know. It's you against the world, no holds barred!" He looked intently into the now unsettled Carmelita's eyes. "Well, in case you don't know it…you've probably got more friends than you even know. And, those friends---if you let them---would gladly do whatever they could to help you, you know."

"Friends?" Carmelita scoffed harshly…but even she could hear the hurt in her voice at that. "What friends? It used to be that way, back when I joined the force, Cooper. But not anymore. A fair number of my male counterparts look at me as some sort of sex object, yet another potential conquest. And, an equal number of the women there treat me with contempt or jealously…or maybe even both!"

"I'll buy that, dear," Sly sadly conceded, but then pointed out. "But, I notice that you don't say 'all of them'. I'm sure there are detectives and constables---good folks, one and all---that would be proud to be your friend, lady. Not everyone there can be selfish jerks or stuck up bimbos."

Carmelita had to grin at that description of his…it sounded a great deal like words she herself would of used. But, thief or no, he did make a good point. "Well, maybe…" she conceded hesitantly. "Kitty---the big pain in the neck that she can be---is a real good kid. And, I've always gotten along well with Trish Connelly." She thought some more…and surprised herself with how easily she could come up with names of folks she respected---and who had always respected her in reply. "I suppose…Walter Dale is a good guy, he treats me like his daughter sometime---er, well, when I let him, that is."

"Which, I'm sure, isn't very often," Sly teased…but only a little. He knew Carmelita pretty well after all.

Carmelita had the grace to blush sofly, which only made Sly smile, enjoying just how pretty she was when she did that. "Okay, okay…so maybe I don't. I'm a big girl…I can take care of myself, Cooper," she defended herself.

"Did I ever say you couldn't?" he questioned in reply. "Hmm?"

"Well, no," Carmelita admitted with a small wry grin. "But---"

"But nothing," Sly continued. "Carmelita…you've got to let down those defenses of yours, girl…and let people in. Take me for example," he added, grinning because he could almost predict what she was going to say.

"No thanks," Carmelita retorted…right on cue.

"Cute," Sly replied with a soft laugh. "What I meant was that I'd be only half the man I am now if it weren't for Bentley and Murray. I've been able to depend on those guys all my life," he told her, then grimaced, adding, "well, since I was eight at least. That was when Dad died…and, I came to the orphanage."

Carmelita had forgotten about his tragic past. Why was it, she asked herself, that I'm always a sucker for orphans? "So…Turtle Boy and that hippo made that big a difference, huh? I always figured it was you looking out for them, not the other way around."

"You really don't get the whole friendship thing, do you?" Sly tossed back in challenge to her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ringtail?" Carmelita replied, bristling.

Sly let go of her hand, and held up both of his defensively. "Whoa! Hold on," he declared to the suspicious vixen. "Don't go all defensive on me, sweetheart. All I'm saying is that you don't let anyone get too close to you, do you? I bet that you even keep Kitty at a distance, don't you?"

"I do not!" Carmelita shot back…then, softly bit her lip, thinking. "Well…not very often. Okay, so maybe a little." Carmelita hemmed and hawed, then finally realized he was right. She did keep people at a distance. But, that was only so she wouldn't get hurt when they betrayed her or left her. "Maybe I do, Cooper. But, can you blame me…what about that two-faced bitch, Neyla?"

Sly grimaced then, allowing that maybe she did have a point. "Okay, but I'm sure she was an exception. What about school buddies? Don't you keep in touch?"

"As a matter of fact, no," Carmelita replied. "My father was the first Fox in Interpol…and as such, we moved around a lot. I didn't attend the same school more than one year at a time. And…the one friend I had---" she tried to elaborate, but couldn't as a very painful memory stabbed at her…one she had thought she'd long forgotten.

"What's the matter, Carmelita?" Sly questioned, again taking her hand in his own. "Are you all right?"

Carmelita didn't answer right away…as she was trying desperately to shore up her emotional defenses…and failing miserably. Oh, Jacqlyn…how could you of done that to me? she wailed in her mind. She fought to repress the past pain, but now that it had resurfaced, she found she could not. "I-I had a f-friend once…her name was Jacqlyn," Carmelita told him, her voice shaky.

"Yes?" Sly murmured soothingly, trying to coax her to continue. It was obvious that this was something that had hurt her, and he wanted to hear what.

"We were friends," Carmelita assured him with a small smile. "We went everywhere together, did everything as a team. We even vowed we'd get married together…when we found our special gentlemen." She smiled at that happy memory.

Sly smiled. "Sounds nice," he said, still coaxing her to continue.

"It was," Carmelita responded, nodding, remembering. "Until…well, she…got sick."

Oh no, Sly thought, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Please no…

"S-She got sick. Oh so sick, Sly," Carmelita told him, forgetting that she even called him by his first name for once. "I stayed with her every chance I could. But, despite my prayers…she didn't get better. She…she…she died!" Carmelita barely was able to choke back her sob.

"Aw, Carmelita," Sly groaned, and began softly rubbing her now cold hands. "I'm so sorry…"

She didn't appear to have heard. "She left me," she said hoarsely. "My best friend in the whole wide world…and she left me. Left me alone. So alone."

Sly didn't know precisely what to do. A part of him wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, to try and console her as best he could. But, he didn't know how well Carmelita might receive that option, and held back…much against his will.

"Poor Jacqlyn," Carmelita said again. "She broke my heart…broke it into pieces. I couldn't believe she was gone. How could she of left me? She and I promised that we'd be there for each other…forever." She sniffed then then, her glorious eyes narrow and glistening.

"Carmelita," Sly murmured softly. "I know just how you felt, sweetheart. I really do."

That snapped Carmelita out of her past. "Y-You do? How?" she blurted out, initially angry at him, feeling like he was simply trying to make her feel better. Then, she remembered. "Oh, right. Y-Your Dad?" she asked in a small voice.

"Uh-huh," Sly admitted, feeling the familiar pain in his chest. The feeling of loss and regret…of a son who never got to know his father. "It was hard."

"Uh-huh," Carmelita agreed, sympathsizing. She put her own hand over his own, glad to finally be able to share her feelings with someone who knew what it felt like…who understood the pain, the hollowness. "H-How did you manage?" she asked, wanting truly to know.

"Friends, love," Sly told her simply, truthfully. "I found friends. Friends to help fill the hole losing my Dad gave me. I finally found a way to heal…and, for that I'll always be grateful to Bentley and Murray."

"Friends did all that?" Carmelita questioned. She had distanced herself after Jacqlyn had died, not wanting to get close to anyone…lest they too leave her even more hurt. "But, weren't you worried…I mean, what if they, well, stopped being friends with you? Weren't you afraid?"

"A little," Sly admitted…his eight year old self remembering. "But, you got to have faith in people, Carmelita. If you give your friendship freely, then others will do the same for you. That's what my Dad always said."

Carmelita choked a small laugh. "He did now, did he?" she asked. "How did he get so smart anyway?"

"I guess it runs in the family," Sly quipped, grinning.

"Yeah, sure," Carmelita scoffed, but with a small thankful smile. But that smile died a moment later. "I-I'm not sure I can, Sly," she then plaintively said.

"Sure you can," Sly told her, squeezing her hand. "Try with Kitty. Get to know her. Really know her. And…this is the scary part, love…let her get to know you."

Carmelita looked down to her hands…which were covered by Sly's bigger ones. Heck, she thought to herself, if I can feel this way about Sly Cooper, well, just how hard can it be to try to be Kitty's friend. Because---and here she felt a pang of hope---wouldn't it be wonderful to have a friend again? "I-I'll try," she said, a bit tentatively at first. "I'll try my best." She then smiled, shaking her head. "But, you don't know Kitty like I do. She'd test the patience of a saint, that one will!"

Sly grinned, then chuckled. "Those are the best kind, girl," he told her. "After all, you aren't the easiest girl to get along with either, my love."

Carmelita frowned, then looked up into his teasing brown eyes. "Hey!" she protested. "I'm not that bad." She looked away, suddenly shyer than she had been for a very long time.

"No. No, you're not," Sly told her after a moment. "Actually, you're pretty terrific, Carmelita Montoya Fox."

Carmelita felt her heart race at that pronouncement of his. Why did it give me such a thrill to hear him say my name? she questioned. "You're doing it again," she accused him, though with a tiny smile instead of her trademark frown.

"Huh? What?" he questioned.

"Complimenting me," she reminded him. "What did I tell you about that?" With great difficulty, she kept her face very neutral.

"Um, sorry 'bout that, beautiful," he replied in mock regret…being sure to toss out a compliment in the process.

"Hey," Carmelita said, tossing back her wealth of lustrous blue-black hair. "I'll get by…somehow. Oh, it'll be hard…but I'll manage."

Sly grinned at her, the most amazing woman he knew. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to make it too easy on you, Ms. Fox. What fun would that be, I ask?"

"Go ahead, I can take it," Carmelita threw out as a challenge, wondering in her heart of hearts, what sort of things he might say just then.

"If I must," Sly said, pretending to be hard put upon. "Now, what would the most beautiful Inspector of all of Interpol---not too mention most of Europe---like to talk about next? Hmm?"

Carmelita couldn't keep in the smile of appreciation his comment caused. It was actually sort of rather nice to hear a man---a handsome one, no less---tell her, quite truthfully, that he found her that beautiful. "Gracias, Senor Cooper," she replied with a bow of her proud head. "Oh, and while you're here…let me tell you about my new roommate---and partner---Kitty Petro," she began.

"Go on, Fairest of the Fair," Sly said with a small wave of his hand. "I'm all ears."

Carmelita then proceeded to explain her odd relationship with her new partner/ roommate, Kitty. Of her annoying need to be the unofficial matchmaker at the office. Of her sometimes quirksome habits, of her troublesome need to keep things stirred up all the time. "You know, though," Carmelita suddenly said, surprising herself as much as Sly. "She does make life very interesting. I remember being bored at home before. Well, I don't have to worry about that with Kitty! That girl makes a tornado seem rather boring at times."

Sly laughed softly. "Now, this one I like, Carmelita," he told her. "She sounds like a fun sort of gal."

Carmelita leaned forward then, pointing an emphatic finger into Cooper's chest. "Just you leave her alone, Sly Cooper," she admonished him, defending her friend. "She's my friend…and I like her just the way she is, thank you. She doesn't need any corrupting from you, buster."

Sly held up his hands, laughing. "Okay, okay, she's off limits," Sly told her. "Gee, if I didn't know any better…I'd almost say that the remarkable unique---oh, and did I mention drop-dead gorgeous?---Carmelita Fox has got herself a friend?"

Carmelita's expressive brown eyes twinkled at his lovely compliment, though she somehow managed not to smile brightly at him. "You better believe it, Cooper," she replied, then caught herself, and flushed, smiling at him before having to look sharply away…so as to not fall under his spell again.

Then, to change the subject away from herself again, she segwayed the conversation into how irritated she was getting with the heated rumors going around the office…of how everyone there believed that she was constantly having clandestine make-out sessions with Sly each and every time she was supposed to be chasing after him. "…and believe you me, Cooper…if my boss ever caught wind of my being here---as your birthday present, no less!---he'd have a coronary…then he'd sack me for sure!" Carmelita related, surprised that nearly forty-five minutes had already gone by!

"Alas, my poor lovely Carmelita," Sly sympathsized, forgetting himself a moment, reaching out to fondly caress her cheek with the back of his hand.

Carmelita shivered at the feelings his tender caress of her cheek had on her. Why do I feel this way around him? she questioned…and not for the first time either!

"Thanks, but I'll still manage somehow," she resolutely informed him.

"Okay then, one last question, then," Sly purposed. "So, let me get this straight Your partner, Kitty, let my pals Bentley and Murray kidnap you---now that I'd of loved to see!---because---and let me be certain of this---she felt we two needed some time alone?" Sly could only shake his head in wonder…both at his good fortune at Carmelita being there with him, as well as the spunk of that new kid, Kitty.

"Look, Cooper," Carmelita groaned, but grinned. "You'd have to know Kitty, okay? She has this bad habit of playing matchmaker." Carmelita then decided to tred very lightly. "Can you believe it? She actually thinks the two of us should be a 'couple'. How lame is that, I ask you?"

"I don't know," Sly reasoned, rubbing his chin again. "Sounds pretty nice to me."

"Cooper!" Carmelita growled…but couldn't deny the sudden warm feeling that suffused her at that shocking thought. "Knock it off, buster!"

"Well, it did!" he defended his assertion. "C'mon, darlin'…you know we'd be a hard team to beat. Your beauty---and marksmanship---with my brains…think of the possibilities…" Sly gave her a sly wink after he finished his observation.

"Your brains?" Carmelita scoffed, grinning as she realized she was actually enjoying herself. Sly might be a pain sometimes, but he did have a way about him…something that thrilled her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on somehow… "We'd be sunk for sure, depending on that mess you call a brain, Ringtail."

"Aw," Sly gushed, "the nice things you always say about me, Carmelita."

Carmelita felt her cheeks flush momentarily. He did have a point…not mentioning the one at the top of his head either. She mentally grimaced. Why did she always denigrate him? He would go out of his way to shower her with praise of her looks, her skills…and what did she do? She would call him an idiot, diss his intellect---which was pretty sharp, truth be known, or some other way belittle him. Why did she do that? "Sorry. But…you always seem to bring that out in me, Cooper," she gruffly apologized.

She then waved her hands about, trying to change the subject back to Kitty again. "Believe you me, Cooper…when I get my hands on that girl, she's going to find herself facing a full makeover at Le Petit Beauty Parlor downtown. Oh my yes…" Carmelita grinned menacingly, enjoying that thought very much. Even though, she had to remind herself, this plan of Kitty's was turning out to be not such a bad thing, after all.

Sly looked puzzled. "Um, is that a bad thing then? I thought you dames went in for that sort of thing?" Sly asked.

"I'd love it, Cooper. But…for her it will be her worst nightmare! Again…you have to know Kitty better. She hates makeup, perfume, having her hair done, all that…even more than I hate criminals," Carmelita explained.

Sly winced, then grinned. "Poor girl. She's got quite a nasty surprise awaiting her, doesn't she?" he said.

"You better believe it! She deserves it!" Carmelita said, defending her actions.

"Why's that?" Sly asked. "For being a sweetheart and trying to open your eyes to the fact that you enjoy being with me maybe?"

"You wish, Cooper," Carmelita said, but none too convincingly…even to herself.

"Oh, really?" Sly said, looking intently into her eyes again. Carmelita had to look away…unable to stand his gaze for long. "Let´s do a review of things, shall we? Yes, let's! First, you hate your job. True?"

Carmelita hated to admit it…but her job didn't hold the same appeal it once did. The politics, the graft and corruption, as well as the many laws that ofttimes allowed criminals to walk on a technicality galled her. "True," she admitted balefully.

"Second, you're tired of the guys at work ogling your rather splendid---shall we say---assets? Or, spreading rumors that you and I are making out all the time. True?"

Carmelita blushed softly at his speaking of her…well, 'assets'. Though, a part of her yearned to know if he truly thought her as beautiful as he alluded to. Not that she was vain about her appearance or anything…but, after all, a girl does like to be appreciated, she told herself. She then frowned, feeling the thrill of Sly's cleverly alluding to her comeliness cool dramatically when she thought of how some of her male co-workers less than subtle checking out of her physique. She also felt her cheeks burn at the thought of being accused of playing kissy-face with Cooper…even though another part of her silently wondered what such an encounter would feel like. If those couple of intense kisses were any indication…she then snuffed out that line of thought quickly. But not before that thought made her heart leap, causing a rush of heat through herself. "True," she reluctantly agreed. "But---"

Sly held his hand up, stopping her inevitable protest. "If that's the case, Carmelita…then why do you continue to work there then…if it's not to chase after me?"

Carmelita had to admit that Sly had a point, but she wasn't about to concede it without a fight. "Now, listen here, Cooper, you arrogant---" she began hotly, but he cut her off…again!

"My name is Sly, not Cooper," Sly corrected her. "It's an easy name really. C'mon, you can say it. Sly… See how easy that is…" he grinned at her.

Carmelita sighed and tried again. "Okay, Sly then. Look, my sister Carmen, my father, my mother, as well as both my grandparents are or were in law enforcement. Just how do you think they'll react if I decide to quit the police force just to run off with a criminal…albeit a rather handsome one?" Now, why had she added that last part? she asked herself with a mental wince.

Sly smiled at that. "So…I'm handsome, am I?" he questioned, enjoying Carmelita's pale blushing. "Even though I am a pain in your…er, neck?" He then looked at her with a look of sad understanding, looking down and away from her. "Yeah, I suppose I do see your point though, Carmelita," he confessed. "However, that might not be much of a sticking point after too much longer, I'm afraid."

"Wait a minute," Carmelita responded, her eyes widening. "What are you getting at, Sly?" She found---oddly enough---addressing him by his first name was getting easier and easier. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not just yet…

"My pal Bentley was reviewing your files…you know before he started this whole thing to bring us together. Trust me when I say, I don´t think you´ll have much of a choice for much longer."

"And, what's that supposed to mean?" Carmelita asked, instantly on guard.

"Oh, well, let´s just say that your boss, Chief Rob, should really watch what he writes on his computer," Sly observed to her. "Listen, Carmelita…your boss is about to suspend you come Monday morning."

Carmelita was cut to the quick, and the pain showed in her big brown eyes. "That bastard!" she hissed, her nose scrunching up as she growled at the unfairness of it all. "But, I haven't done anything wrong!"

"I know, love," Sly soothed, taking her hand again to comfort the upset vixen. "I know. It's politics, my sweet. You're being sacrificed so your boss can save face with his brass…plain and simple."

Carmelita didn't know what to say. More than five years she had given to Interpol and the world…fighting crime, putting the bad guys behind bars. Following the Fox family tradition…and doing a textbook job of it in the process. Or…so she had thought. Apparently, all her hard work, her sacrifice, her exemplary record couldn't salvage her career against political expediency. Her shoulders sagged in defeat…and she found---much to her own surprise---that she valued Sly's holding her hand in her time of need very very much indeed.

"Look, corazon, I don´t want to push you into doing anything you won´t be comfortable with, okay? But, I just know that your family---even if they aren't entirely happy with your decision---they will respect them…for they do love you, you know." He had to work very hard not to add, 'like I do'…but he didn't.

Carmelita looked down just then, again knowing that Sly was right. She then frowned, detecting that he had left something very important to him unsaid just now. But, did she want to know? she asked herself. She wasn't sure.

"Listen, I have a suggestion you might find er, interesting. But…then again, maybe not. But, I'll just ask you to listen," Sly said. "If a time may come that you find yourself out of a job, heaven forbid." He paused then took up both of her hand in his own, holding them between his own. "You would always be welcome to join with me. Now, I understand you might have reservations about that. I just want you to know that I wouldn´t suggest it to turn you into a criminal. No, far from it…I just would want it so…well, I could be with you."

Carmelita blinked several times, digesting what he had just said. Was he telling her what she thought he was telling her? she wondered. Or…did he just long for her friendship? Hey, either way, she told herself, it was the best deal anyone had offered her in a very long time. "Thanks," she said, simply and truthfully.

"I'm not finished," he said with a guilty smile a moment later. "You may already know it, but let me tell you anyway. Carmelita, you've been more than half the reason I find being a Master Thief so fun. It wouldn't be the same if anyone but you was after me…"

Carmelita smiled, as she figured out that she was actually quite pleased to hear that he cared so much about her. About me, her mind thrilled! "So…let me get this straight then. "You would offer me this…just so you could be around me?" she rephrased. "Look, like you said, I'm not the easiest girl to get along with."

"Who said I wanted easy?" Sly tossed back, kissing the back of her hand.

"I'm strong willed," she continued, a grin threatening to appear on her lovely face, feeling a shiver at the feeling of his lips on her hand.

"I respect that in a person, really," Sly assured her, his eyes twinkling again.

"I'm tempermental," she added, her grin appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"I've always liked my women fiery," Sly told her, kissing the back of her other hand.

"Ooh, you're impossible!" she accused, her heart racing, a smile---a beautiful smile!---blossoming on her face. It was then she decided to surprise the oft-times cocky thief. "Oh, Sly," she said, practically singing his name, beckoned for him to come closer to her.

"Hmm? Yes, what is it, Carmelita my love?" Sly asked with his trademark flair, moving close to his lady love.

Once he was close enough, Carmelita gave him his reply. "Do you remember that night you kissed me? At the top of that Russian volcano…whatever the blasted thing was called?" she questioned, her body tingling, her heart pounding in her chest.

"How could I forget that?" Sly replied, truthfully. "But---" he intended to tell her it was her who had kissed him…but her never did get the chance.

He never got past that 'but'…as Carmelita reached up to cup his cheeks with her hands and drew him toward her to kiss him…rather soundly. He initially was startled…but the passion with which Carmelita now kissed him he was soon over that. He put his arms around her…but let her do the kissing, enjoying the feel of this beautiful woman, the woman he dreamed of, actually willingly kissing him. Sell my clothes, Sly thought just then his heart soaring, I'm going to Heaven!

Carmelita would of continued kissing him---oh, my yes she would have!---but she found she had to breathe. So, reluctantly, her whole body tingling wonderfully, she slid her lips free from his, and heaved a sigh of pure contentment. "Mmm," she purred.

"Wow…" was the best Sly could manage, his eyes dreamy, a silly smile on his face. "Oh, wow…"

Carmelita grinned and hugged the still stunned raccoon to herself. My, my, she thought, now wasn't that fun? Perhaps, she thought to herself, perhaps I should kiss him again? Hmm, the possibilities…she thought, then giggled softly to herself.

Sly finally came to his senses, hugging her back tenderly. He then heard her soft giggle, and felt his heart melt. "Um, are you feeling all right, Carmelita?" he asked, teasing her a bit.

"Hmm. Now that you mention it," Carmelita said mysteriously, pausing to look sideways at herself in the mirror. That device showed off her lovely face, eyemask, and jaunty cap quite nicely. "You know…I feel a little…well, hmm…let's say a bit rebellious, all the sudden." She flicked her remarkably lovely eyes over to gaze a bit dreamily at the handsome rogue who held her in his arms.

Sly chuckled, then kissed her on the lips once quickly. "Would you look at the time? Goodness, where does the time go sometimes, huh?" he questioned, grinning. He then yawned hugely. "Well, it's eleven o'clock…and it´s getting late," he said. "Tell you what, Carmelita, I'll sleep on the sofa over there, and you can take the bed."

"Sorry, nothing doing, Cooper," Carmelita replied. "This bed of yours will hold the both of us rather handily. So, why don't we both make use of it?" she suggested…until she saw the playful look light in Sly's eyes. "Ooh, you and that gutter mind of yours. Okay, I'm amending my proposal, buster…just so long as you don´t try anything…and you do know what I'm talking about, Cooper…you can stay here…with me." She smiled then, hope and affection showing in her beautiful eyes.

"Carmelita," Sly answered, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, making her shiver with delight. "You know I may tease you…but I respect you far more, dear girl. I will be the perfect gentleman…I assure you."

"Aw, and where's the fun in that?" Carmelita then teased, cleverly having maneuvered Sly around so she could push him back on to the bed. She then climbed on, and moved about so that she eventually lay down beside him, her arm draped across his chest, her cheek nestled against his chest. "Mmm, this is nice," she said sleepily a few minutes later.

"You'll get no arguments from me, beautiful," Sly answered her, pausing to dip his head down a bit to kiss her one last time. "G'night."

"Night," Carmelita said, snuggling against him blissfully.