Chapter 1

Carmelita stormed into her apartment, her partner, Constable Kitty Petro in tow. Carmelita cursed indiscriminately under her breath at nearly everyone at work that she hated right at that particular moment, which was quite a list actually.

Kitty listened silently, wishing she could say something---anything!---to curb her roommate's towering anger. "I know, it really sucks big time," she told her friend compassionately. "But, question is…what'll you do now?" she finally asked after some thought…in the end just blurting it out, as she could come up with no way of saying it nicely.

Carmelita didn't answer her though, gritting her teeth and pacing angrily back and forth across the linoleum of her kitchen floor. Her anger began to abate as a sudden thought crossed her mind just then. She hadn't yet told Kitty of her and Cooper's conversation…nor about Sly's offering her a job for fear of Kitty indulging herself in playing matchmaker again. Carmelita finally came to a halt and leaned back against the kitchen countertop. "Gah! What a day," she remarked, running her hands up through her thick raven locks. "I suppose that, at least for the moment, I'll do nothing," she told her roommate.

Kitty nodded in understanding…after all, what else could poor Carmelita do anyway right now? she asked herself. "So," Kitty posed a moment later, finally giving voice to a fear she had been harboring since Carmelita had been fired. "Am I to still live here with you…even if you and I aren't partners anymore?" Kitty tried to adopt a look that was so cute and adorable that not even Carmelita would think of sending her packing. Silently, she hoped it would work…

Carmelita frowned then, and looked up into Kitty's big blue eyes. She sighed heavily, then grinned at her sardonically. "All right, enough with the flashing of those baby blues of yours, kiddo," Carmelita warned. "That sort of thing stopped working on me a looong time ago, missy."

Kitty gulped nervously. Did that mean then that---

Carmelita snorted, seeing the fear in Kitty's eyes and understanding what was going though the kid's head finally. "C'mon, kid…did you really think I'd pitch you out in the street now?" she challenged her.

The air whooshed from Kitty's lungs in relief. "Well…I'd understand if you might feel that way…" In reality, no, she wouldn't…but she was trying to be nice, remember?

"Hey, if I hadn't pitched you out before now, you got nothing to worry about, Constable---er, I mean, Inspector Petro," Carmelita teased her good-naturedly, even though she had to swallow hard in calling Kitty an Inspector…after all, she was now wearing her own shield.

"Thanks," Kitty replied, ducking her head a moment in embarrassment. She then tentatively stepped up to Carmelita and gave her a soft, yet thankful hug. Carmelita stiffened initially, but then smiled and hugged the smaller woman back.

Kitty perked up almost immediately. "Hey, I know! What do you say we watch a movie, buddy?" Kitty asked.

Before Carmelita could even answer her, her phone rang. Allowing it to ring again, she turned to Kitty and said, "Tell you what…I'll bet you five euros that's my sister, Carmen, calling."

Kitty shook her head in negation. "Uh-uh! I know a sucker bet when I hear one," she teased, smirking.

Carmelita smiled, but picked up the phone, feeling a bit better about the whole horrible day now that she was home. "Hello? Former Inspector Carmelita Fox speaking. How may I help you?" she asked cleverly.

She quickly winced and held the phone away from her sensitive pointed ear, allowing Kitty to hear Carmen's thunderous voice bellow, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD MADE YOU QUIT YOUR JOB, CARMELITA?"

Carmelita knew what was coming next and proceeded to---much to Kitty's amusement, mind you---mouth exactly what Carmen would say just before she said it. "ARE YOU INSANE? WHILE YOU WERE SUSPENDED? CARMELITA MONTOYA FOX…ALL THE FOXES FOR FOUR GENERATIONS HAVE SERVED IN THE POLICIA…AND YOU JUST UP AND QUIT?"

Carmelita waited until Carmen's tirade wound down, then asked, "So, hermana…do you feel better now, hmm?"

"Carmelita," a much calmer Carmen answered, "You don't understand---" she began to try to convince her sister of her mistake…but never got the chance.

"Oh, I understand better than you think, sister dear," Carmelita retorted, her voice stern. "You listen here, Carmen, I wasn't going to stand by and let Chief Rob destroy my life. I used to love being an Inspector…you remember, right? But now, upholding the law isn't as important as kissing the right person's behind or knowing how to play politics. I was suspended…unfairly. I was getting a raw deal---each and ever day---from my boss. He put me under more and more pressure…with no help, and blamed me for his own inabilities. I won't go back now…not ever. I've too much pride to crawl back worm-like and beg for my job! I won't do it! Now, I don´t know what I´ll do…but whatever I do, I'm going to follow my own heart instead of yours and Momma and Poppas, Carmen."

"Now that you mention our parents, hermana," Carmen replied, far more subdued now. "They called me from Spain telling me that Chief Rob had phoned them both to tell them that you had quit."

"Figures," Carmelita growled. "See? That the sort of crap I've been putting up with for years now, Carmen. But, I'm not surprised really. As I said before it's all politics. The Chief just can't handle having me quit, so he calls our parents and expects them to get me to come back. Which I won't do! No way!"

"But, hermana…" Carmen pleaded, trying to get her sister come to her senses.

"Look, Carmen…you're the fifth generation Fox in Interpol…so, it's not up to me to anymore, okay?" Carmelita snapped, pointing out that fact to her sister. "And, sister dear…if you should want a sixth generation Fox in Interpol…why then, I would suggest you spend a little more time with Carlos then, si?"

Carmen shook her head ruefully, but chuckled on the other side of the line. "Gah! Why do I even bother arguing with you, Carmelita?" she asked. "I never seem to win an argument."

"Precisely," Carmelita replied, but very good-naturedly, full of soft fondness for her elder sister. "Look Carmen, I got to go, okay? Call me later if you like, hmm? Now, Kitty and I are going to watch a movie."

"Si, hermana," Carmen said with a soft sigh. "Please, do keep in touch. I love you, Carmelita."

"I love you too, Carmen. Don't you worry, Sis. I'll be in touch," Carmelita promised and hung up.

"You mean to tell me that she actually gave up?" Kitty mused aloud, moving out of the kitchen carrying a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn. "Will wonders never cease?"

"Kitty, Kitty, Kitty," Carmelita began. "Carmen nearly never wins those sort of arguments with me. It's just the way things are with the Foxes," Carmelita stated with a smug smile of satisfaction. The two then went and sat down in the living room, Kitty choosing a movie and slipping it into the DVD player.

"Man, It's gonna suck going to work now," Kitty observed later on, seemingly out of the blue.

"Oh? Why?" Carmelita asked, taking a fistful of popcorn.

"Well, it's like this really…I live with you, and you just quit Interpol, managing to curse so nastily that everyone, the Captain, all the constables and Inspectors backed away. I'm sure I'll be a very popular girl come Monday, my friend."

Carmelita smiled, remembering…then shook her head and smiled. "Don't you worry about that, Kitty. I still had friends in the department…you just get to know them, and you'll do just fine. Just try to avoid Inspector Gaines. Er, he had some odd delusion that he should be the one to calm me down," Carmelita said, her voice becoming tight.

"I know, I know," Kitty said then laughed out loud. "But really Carmelita…was he so bad that you had to blacken both his eyes…as well as making the stuck-up, arrogant bastard walk funny for the next week or so?

"Darn right, I did!" Carmelita barked, nodding her proud head. "That jerk! I can't believe he had the gall to try to come on to me after I'd just quit! Now, I was willing to let that pass, mind you. But, when he invited me back to his apartment to 'talk things over', he also chose to try to be…um, shall I say, a little 'frisky' with me too. Well, I'll tell you…I put up with that sort of crap from that jerk for years now…I wasn't about to let him get away with it after I'd quit." She nodded her head in her righteous indignation. "Man! Oh, but did that feel simply wonderful! That jerk had it coming…and I gave it to him! Hmmph! Now, maybe he'll leave the rest of you girls alone."

Kitty still laughed, and held her hands up before herself. "Hey, I'm not complaining, buddy," Kitty stated. "I just think you'd best be careful doing that sort of thing. I mean, since you had already quit, couldn't he turn your pounding him into a police brutality case?"

Carmelita laughed uproariously for several moments. "Kitty, c'mon! Do you think a self-centered, arrogant little peacock like Gaines would admit a mere girl had cleaned his clock in front of the others? Fat chance, I say!" she returned, seeing Kitty reluctantly nod her agreement. "Heck, even if he did have the courage to try, I always have you as a witness, girl. I'm sure you've seen all the crap I've had to put up with from that guy all these years."

"Oh yeah," Kitty told her quickly. "You can bet on that, Carmelita." Kitty remembered numerous occasions she'd had to force herself to un-ball her fists whenever then-Constable Gaines was trying to proposition poor Carmelita. "I'll spill it all…all that jerk's dirty laundry! If he doesn't lose his job, then the Internal Affairs folks will make his life an absolute hell. You know…couldn't happen to a nicer guy too…" Kitty's smile was icy.

Carmelita laughed then…but ended up yawning. It had gotten late, but Carmelita thought it time well spent. "Hey, you…we should both get to bed. You got work tomorrow, you know," she reminded Kitty, as well as taking the opportunity to ruffle the girl's short blond hair affectionately.

Kitty giggled, then pulled away…finally, she groaned. "Yeah, yeah…I know. All right, Carmelita, see you tomorrow."

When Carmelita made it to her room, she didn't take to her bed…like she told Kitty she would. No, instead she powered up her laptop computer. As the machine worked, she muttered to herself. "Now, how in the name of God do I get a message to Cooper and his buddies? To let him…er, them, I mean…know I want to talk to him…er, them?"