The Thunder Beak

The car pulled into the driveway. At least this time Julio managed to stomach the intense driving. As Sly and Carmelita went inside, Julio struggled out of the car to be greeted by his dad.

"What's wrong son?" Jose said.

Suddenly, Julio puked, and right on Jose's shoes too!

"Son of a Bitch!" Jose said, in a pissed but calm mood.

"Julio, since when did you eat spaghetti?" Enrique said in a puzzled look.

Carmelita quickly shoved her dress into the closet. Sly then came in. He noticed that something was amiss among his stuff. 'That's not where I left my laptop, or at least that's not the position I left it in'. He then checked the laptop. 'Yep, Mr Fox has been here.' He then pulled out his letter. 'Aha! Good thing I made this up! And to think I would have thought Jose wouldn't have fallen for it, much less need it!'

Everyone was set for the trip to the Thunder Beak nightclub. Everyone was dressed nicely, but the only person missing was Carmelita.

"You guys go on ahead," Sly said. When everyone filed out to go to the cars, Sly went looking for Carmelita.

As soon as he entered the foyer, he heard a, "Looking for me?"

Sly looked up to the second story landing and saw Carmelita rail sliding down the banner towards him. Sly caught her in his arms.

"Oh my, y-y-you l-look…" Sly was flabbergasted. He hadn't seen her look this good ever, not even at Rajan's party.

Carmelita pressed her index finger to Sly's lips. "Quiet, let's get going."

"Hold it!" the bouncer at the entrance yelled, getting in the group's way into the nightclub. "No one get's in unless your on the list, and if your not, you're gonna have to wait in line."

"Your harshin' da vibe bro," Dimitri said to the bouncer as he came out of the nightclub. "Theys with me!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the bouncer said, his face frowning as if he was in despair. "Go on in."

The nightclub was alive with partying. The place was crowded.

"Get everyone in the concert hall in fifteen minutes," Sly said out loud to Carmelita. "I have a surprise."

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was in the crowded concert hall. Something was going down and everyone wanted to know what Sly was up to. And then it happened. The curtain lifted and there on stage was the entire Cooper gang, but all them disguised, with the exception of Sly.

For the next hour, everyone cheered, except Jose, at the gang as they played an arrangement of songs. At least twice did Jose actually bother to cheer, but with little enthusiasm.

"You bros put big bling in my wallet!" Dimitri said, as he approached the gang. "I want you guys to let me shine you all at my new nightclub opening in Paris! I call it CG!"

"I'll have to think about it," Sly said, placing his guitar in its rack. "But right now, I got me some party to be had." That last part he spoke in the same accent as what Dimitri's was.

"Oh my god, that was FANTASTIC!" Enrique said with much enthusiasm.

"Is that why you have been sneaking out?" Carmelita said.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Maria said. She must have been talking about the neat guitar solo he had.

"I'll have to admit, you were amazing," Jose said blandly.

"Well that's all you'll hear tonight!" Sly said. "So now…IT'S TIME TO PARTY!"

"It's obvious you're my partner!" Carmelita said, grabbing Sly by his arm and pulling him to an empty space on the disco dance floor.

For the next hour or so, Sly and Carmelita pretty much owned the dance floor to a point where eventually, they were surrounded by a small circle of onlookers, who were applauding to nearly every fresh move the two busted out.

"They sure look like they should be together," Maria said to Jose, watching the couple from a second story bar.

"I guess, though they would look like they'd be truly perfect if he were a fox," Jose said, taking a sip of his bloody mary. "Though still, your right."

After a while, Sly and Carmelita joined them at the bar. Eventually so did everyone. Julio and Enrique, being unmarried, found it easy to find dance partners, and were reluctant to leave them.

"We're gonna head home," Carmelita said, setting down her unfinished cocktail. "Too many guys have been making a move on me."

"All right, but we're staying for a little bit longer, here," Maria said, tossing Sly a pair of keys. "Those are for the house."

Jose had just neared the bathroom when he noticed the door to the backstage of the concert hall was open and there were voices.

"Do you think he's on the parents' good graces?" said a large pink hippo.

"The mother definitely," said a blond haired mouse.

"The dad seemed a little wary, what do you think Tanner?" said a green turtle; he was in a wheel chair.

"I'll say that he's won over everyone's heart except that dad's," said a lean doberman. "I just hope that Sly grows on him enough that he lacks in the overexcitement that would come to a cop if Sly tells him."

Jose heard footsteps and left. 'Tell me what? Something is up with him!'

About fifteen minutes later, everyone piled into the house, silently, but still slightly drunk and exhausted. As they entered the living room, everyone went completely into 'silent run'.

"Isn't that sweet," Eliza smiled.

"Those two really do love each other," Maria added.

On the couch, slept Sly, and in his arms were Carmelita, she too asleep. Julio pulled out a blanket from a closet and gently placed it on top of them. And then everyone went to bed, their hearts warmed up by the scene they saw.