Sly Cooper

And

The Shadow Thief

Chapter Nine: The Threat

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Sly pulled away from the hug, and kissed her, letting his hand rest on her stomach. His future child was there. He would protect it. And Merah.

And Max would go down.

Merah had asked Sly that they didn't tell the others about her 'condition'. Penelope already knew, and Sly knew this now, but he agreed to keep it from Bentley and Murray. He didn't exactly think Murray would understand all that much, and Bentley would just make a big scene about it. No, really. He would.

Discovering that Max was the Master… Merah was coping with it surprisingly well. Better than Sly had anticipated. He confessed to her that Max had, indeed, killed her father, or at least aided some way in his disappearance. This didn't surprise her one bit.

He also had the ring. Silver band set with a sapphire stone, and marked with the name Alana Serenity Ringo. Her mother's ring. When Merah found this out, she went from simply needing to throw Max in jail, to keep herself, Sly, and the others safe, to wanting to throw him in jail, with a passion. When Bentley finally started concocting a plan, Merah jumped in there like a dirty shirt, making suggestions, and pin-pointing certain weak aspects. Sly had to smile when he watched her work. He had suspected she wouldn't want to do anything with this job, just because it was her brother they were going up against. But he was definitely wrong.

He just noticed Merah hadn't said anything about getting Carmelita involved.

A few days later, Bentley, Penelope, Guru and Murray all went out for the day to get some new equipment for their heist on Max's manor, so Merah and Sly were alone in the house. She was at the table, going over the plan papers Bentley had typed up. She wanted to make sure there was no flaw, not one tiny little detail that could go wrong in this plan. Her life, the lives of the new friends she had made, and the life of the man she loved were all at stake. She wanted to make sure they would all stay safe.

She suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind, and she let her head fall back to rest on Sly's shoulder. He must've just gotten up, which was unusual, as Sly was normally an early riser. He kissed her cheek.

"Good morning," He said cheerfully.

"'Morning," Merah answered, never taking her eyes off the papers. Then she shook her head and put the papers down on the table. "No… I'm starting to doubt this plan, Sly. It feels like it's going to go wrong."

"Don't all plans so wrong?" Sly asked, still hugging her from behind.

"Yeah, but…" Merah sighed. "This one feels like it's going to go drastically wrong."

"So you improvise," Sly said. "Add to the plan we already have."

"Bentley will think I've lost my mind if I tell him my idea…" She said softly, biting her lip.

"What's that?" Sly asked, kissing her hair.

"We need Carmelita to help us," Merah said, though she didn't want that. She still didn't know where Sly was in the middle of this. She knew he loved her, but when you've loved someone else for a long time, you can't just suddenly let them go. She hoped her heart wouldn't get broken. She hoped Sly wouldn't leave her. Would he, now that he knew he would father a child? Sly laughed softly in her ear.

"You're worried," He said, kissing her cheek again.

"About?" Merah asked.

"You doubt me," He said simply. Merah was quiet. Sly laughed again, and went around, facing her. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet from the chair, and then drew her close to him. He nuzzled her nose.

"Don't," He said softly. "Ever doubt me. Don't doubt for one second that I don't love you. Because I love you with every ounce of my being."

"But Carmelita—" Merah started, but Sly put a finger to her lips.

"Carmelita," He whispered, taking his finger away from her lips and bringing his hand up to stroke her cheek. "Carmelita was my past. But you, Merah… you are my future."

Merah was silent for a while, and then she smiled, and said flatly, "Do you have any idea how corny that sounded?"

Sly just chuckled softly, and then pulled her closer to him so he could kiss her. Merah's arms found their way around his waist, and once the kiss was over, she let her head fall into place on his shoulder. It fit there perfectly, like a puzzle piece. She smiled to herself, enjoying the feel of Sly's arms wrapped her around her. She lifted her head so she could kiss him again, but just as their lips were about to touch, the phone rang. Merah groaned.

"Stupid phone," She muttered, reluctantly pulling away from Sly to go answer it. He just smiled as she went away, and then went to g get himself some breakfast. Merah picked the phone up off the receiver.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello, Merah," The voice on the other line said pleasantly. Though the voice sounded pleasant, the owner of the voice was certainly not pleasant.

"M-Max…?" Merah asked fearfully into the phone. Sly was immediately at her side when he heard her say her brother's name. He rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, letting her know he was there.

"Oh, good, you still remember me," Max said, sounding happy and chipper. "I thought you'd forgotten about me, it's been so long… a few months? Why didn't you come look for me when the house went up in smoke?"

"I was trying to," Merah started. "I was going to go looking—why the hell are you calling me!"

"No need to yell, Merah," Max said with that same, kind and delightful tone ringing in his voice. "I should be the one yelling. You betrayed me."

"How the hell did I betray you?" She demanded.

"Pairing up with Sly Cooper for all these months?" Max said, as if it were obvious. "You're a Ringo, Merah. You're fraternizing with the enemy."

"He's not my enemy, Maxwell," Merah said defensively, and she brought a hand up to rest it on the hand Sly had on her shoulder. He was still there, giving her comfort. "You are! You killed our mother!"

"Actually, that was an accident," Max said. "I had really intended to kill you."

Merah almost passed you. He… he had tried to kill her? "Wh-what are you—"

"Daddy's perfect little girl," Max interrupted, his voice growing darker. "He didn't want you to become a thief because you looked so much like our dear mother, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing you like he lost her. But me? He was willing to risk my life. But I wasn't 'talented' enough to be a thief, he said. But you, on the other hand… you were more talented than any of us would have ever thought."

"So that's what this is all about?" Merah asked. "You're getting mad at me just because I become a better thief than you did?"

"It originally started out as that," Max said softly, his voice still dark. "I bought a gun. I climbed on top of a roof while you and Mom were out for the day. I saw you two walking. I aimed at you. But dear Mother got in the way. I was as devastated as you were. I never wanted Mom to die. She was the only one who treated my like an equal, like I had something to show for the family. Unlike Dad.

Dad knew there was something different about me from the beginning. He knew I was smart. He knew I had a potential for something, something greater than he could have ever imagined. I had a potential for death. He saw this at an early age. But he put a stop to it after Mom died. Why do you think he ceased my training after that horrible accident? He knew it was me."

Merah listened to all of this, finally piecing all of it together. It was starting to make sense. She had always thought it strange how their father had suddenly just stopped training Max. Now his reasoning was clear; he was afraid Max would abuse his abilities as a thief. And Max was abusing them.

"Is that what you called me for?" Merah asked. "To confess everything? I admit, some of this I didn't know. But I see through you, now. We will get the Thievius Raccoonus back."

"We?" Max asked with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Who is 'We'?"

"The Cooper Gang," Merah answered with feeling. "Sly and his friends; they're a team. And I'm part of that team now. And I'm not leaving them."

"Oh," Max sounded as if he had been touched by her words, but she knew he was mocking her. "How sentimental. You're friends with them now, are you?"

"I am," She replied. "And I've become a better thief with Sly helping me, too."

"Oh, good," Max said, his voice going back to the cheerful way it had been when he first called. "So then neither of you will mind if I burn the book, then, will you?"

"Don't you dare!" Merah yelled into the phone, and Sly pulled her a bit closer to him. He could feel her shaking in fear and anger. "That book belongs to Sly, and I won't let you take anything from him!"

"What's this I hear in your voice, Sister Dear?" Max said. "Could it be… love I'm hearing? You're speaking with such passion about a person whom you used to hate. Did you fall in love with him, Merah?"

She didn't say anything. She hated how Max was talking. He was dragging Sly into this, making her let her guard down…

"Oh, you do!" Max cried in delight. "How cute."

"If you touch him—" Merah started, but Max cut her off.

"Do what I say, Merah, and he'll be fine," He interrupted. "Come to the manor at midnight tonight. If your wits are about you, and you've really become as good a thief as you say, then you can have the book. But come alone. If you don't come alone, I'll send my guards out to hunt down precious Sly, and the rest of your friends."

"If you think that I'm going to just let you—"

"Midnight tonight, Merah!" Max yelled. "Come alone. Or Sly will die."

The line went dead, and Merah slammed it back on the receiver. Sly stroked her hair. He had heard the whole conversation.

"He's insane…" She said shakily. "He's totally insane!"

"You're not going to do what he says, are you?" Sly asked. "It's too dangerous to go by yourself."

"I'm not going to let you die," Merah said. "And I'm certainly not going to let Max keep the book…"

Her thoughts went back to her original plan; Call Carmelita.

Merah picked up the phone again, and dialed a number she never thought she ever call in all her life. She called the police.

"I want to speak to Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox," She said to the secretary who answered the phone. "It's urgent."

For the first time in a long time, Carmelita felt happier than she could ever remember. Ever since her run-in with Nicholas, she had been seeing him every night for the past few days. They even had plans for a movie that evening, as well.

She was going through police files at her desk when her phone rang. She thought – or hoped – it would be Nicholas, so she picked it up without hesitation, or without checking the caller ID.

"Inspector Fox," Carmelita said in the business like way, keeping the phone at her ear with her shoulder as she used her hand to shuffle through files again.

"Carmelita," A woman's voice said on the other line. Carmelita was confused.

"Yes, who is this?"

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Merah Ringo," The woman replied after a while. "I'm the new thief who's been working with Sly Cooper. We fought each other in Cairo."

"You!" Carmelita yelled, dropping the files. "What are you calling me for?"

"I hate to admit it, but…" Merah trailed off. Then she took a deep breath. "I need your help. Sly and I need your help. There's a new criminal, and… he's dangerous."

"You mean more dangerous than you or Sly?" Carmelita asked bitterly.

"Sly and I aren't even criminals compared to this guy, Inspector," Merah said firmly. "We don't kill. This guy… he's a murderer, and if you don't help us, many innocent people are going to get hurt."

"What do you want me to do?" Carmelita asked.

"We need you to become a thief with us," Merah said, and Carmelita heard Sly yell, "WHAT!" in the background. She, Merah, ignored him. "We need you to help us break into his manor."

"Who is this guy?" Carmelita asked.

"He goes by the Master," Merah said. "But his true name is Maxwell Ringo."

"Wait," Carmelita said. "He's—"

"My brother." Merah interrupted. "And one of the most dangerous criminals you will ever meet, I assure you. He's already put a threat on Sly's life. If you're as good a cop as you say you are, you'll look at the bigger picture, and realize that simple thieves like Sly and I are nothing compared to a dangerous killer."

"Fine," Carmelita said. "I'll meet you. But I'm bringing someone with me."

"Bring anyone you need," Merah said. "The more back up we have to lock Max up, the better."

"Where will I meet you?"

"The outskirts of Paris," Merah said. "The two run-down train cars on the track. You'll see the van."

It had been a few hours since Merah had called Carmelita, and now she was pacing nervously around the kitchen, waiting for her and whatever back up she was bringing to show up. Bentley, Murray, Penelope and the Guru were all back now, and Sly was telling them what Merah had done. Even Sly was a little shocked Merah had dared suggest to Carmelita that she be a thief with them, even if it was only for one job.

"Merah, have you lost your mind!" Bentley yelled.

"We can't do this alone," Merah said flatly, still pacing.

"But… but the police!" Bentley said, his voice still loud.

"Look!" Merah snapped. "Max is dangerous, okay? He already threatened your lives! I'm not strong enough to take him out by myself, and if Murray tries to take him out, you'll all be in danger!"

"So… to make it more difficult, you hired more people to come and help?" Bentley asked.

"They're police," Merah said. "Technically, I am alone, because they're not on this team. I'll go in by myself, and Carmelita and whoever she's bringing and find another way I, and hopefully they'll arrest Max before he realizes anything."

"This idea is still sketchy to me," Bentley said. The sound of a car parking outside was heard, and Merah went to the door, pushing it open and stepping outside. Sly followed her, and saw Carmelita and another fox get out of the car. He was tall and broad-shouldered with brown eyes and a strong jaw. He was looking at Merah suspiciously.

"Ringo, Cooper," Carmelita said, stopping in front of them and crossing her arms.

"If there was another way, believe me, I wouldn't have called," Merah snapped. Then she looked at the other guy who was with Carmelita. "Who's he?"

"Inspector Nicholas Dunford," Carmelita said. Inspector Dunford looked Merah up and down, and Sly, out of impulse, put an arm around her waist.

"I know you," he said finally to Merah. "I saw you running away when I arrested Christopher."

"In England?" Merah asked. "Yeah, that was me."

"What was he doing with the gun?" Inspector Dunford asked.

"He shot me," Merah said boredly. "Look, can we just focus on the now, please?"

"So," Carmelita said, looking at Sly. "You want us to become thieves?"

"In a certain sense," Sly said. "We need you to sneak into the manor along with Merah and make it look like you found your way there on your own. Maxwell had threatened the life of the rest of the gang, and my own life if she doesn't go in on her own."

"I'm not strong enough to take on Max by myself," Merah explained. "So, if I show up without Sly, or the rest of the gang, he'll think I've come alone, and… try to do whatever he has planned. You come in, and arrest him before he gets that chance."

Carmelita thought about it for a minute, and then she looked to Nick, who shrugged.

"I don't see why we can't help," He said.

"Alright," Carmelita said to Merah and Sly. "Run us through all the details of the plan. We'll catch Maxwell."

A/N: Choppy, me thinks, but other wise, I hope you liked it. A Thief/Cop team up? Has it been done? I mean, aside from the actual Sly games. Tell me what you think! R&R!