Thieves United

Disclaimer: You know the drill. NO, I DON'T OWN SLY COOPER! Thanks for listening.

PARIS, FRANCE: 7:25 PM

Running around trying to get ready for his outing with Carmelita, Sly hastily pulled on a think, dark-blue sweater over his white t-shirt. This messed up his hair, so he had to dash back to the bathroom to fix it again. He was still undecided as to where he should take Carmelita, so he figured, if they passed a restaurant that she liked, they'd stop there.

After he was sure his hair was fine, he bounded back into his bedroom, and pulled on a pair of casual jeans, and some white socks. Then, after checking himself in the mirror, making sure he looked presentable, he went to grab his keys, his coat, and his wallet. Even though this wasn't a formal gathering, Sly still wanted to look good for Carmelita. Slipping his wallet into his black pocket, Sly pulled on his black leather jacket, and pulled on his black shoes, almost falling over in the process. Then, once his shoes were on, he checked his watch, and shouted, "Damn!" really loudly before pulling open his apartment door, throwing himself out into the hallway, and hastily locking the door behind him before he took off down the hallway.

He was late picking up Carmelita!

Carmelita surveyed herself doubtfully in her mirror. She had chosen a light knee-length black skirt (very much like Modesta's) she thought she would never wear, and a black sleeveless top. Was it too dressy? Or did she look presentable? She couldn't decide, so she thought she'd stick with it.

She had kept her hair in its regular braid, so she didn't have to do anything with it. She touched up on her make-up a little bit, and then, after pulling on a light black sweater, she went to get her shoes on and wait for Sly.

It was seven thirty-two in the evening. Sly had called her a few minutes ago on his work cell phone, saying he needed to pick something up before he came to get her. She was fine with this. She put on a pair of small-heeled sandals, and no sooner than she sat down on her couch to wait for Sly to show up, there was a knock at the door. She scrambled to get up, and opened it. Sly was standing there, looking very handsome. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," Carmelita replied.

"You look… beautiful." He said, looking her up and down, and flashing another charming grin.

"Thank you," She said. He pulled a small bouquet of roses out from behind his back then, and handed them to her.

"Sorry I'm late," He said. "I had to pick these up."

"Oh…" Carmelita took the flowers. "Sly, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to," Sly said with a smile. Carmelita invited him into her apartment for a minute so she could put the roses in water. Sly looked around as he waited for her. Her apartment was small, but nice. It was very clean, and grey. No, really; the walls were a plain off-white color with a few pictures of Carmelita's family members, and the carpet in her living room, which he could see from the doorway of her apartment in the kitchen, was a light grey. It was simple, but elegant, and ideal for a young woman living on her own.

"Nice apartment," He said. Carmelita set the roses in a vase near her kitchen sink and smiled at him.

"Thank you," She said. Then, with a moment of awkward silence, "So… shall we go?"

"Certainly," Sly said, and he followed her out into the hall, letting her lock the door. Then, offering his arm to her, they made their way out of the building.

Sly lead her over to a black motorcycle parked outside. Sly didn't own a car; Carmelita usually drove him around, so he didn't think it was necessary to have a car. The motorcycle was simply for personal outings. Carmelita was looking at the bike, impressed. It was sleek and shiny, and looked brand new.

"I didn't know you had a motorcycle," She said. Sly handed her a helmet, smiling.

"I don't usually use it," He confessed. "I always get a drive with you to work, so I don't need to. But tonight can be an acceptation."

Carmelita smiled, and took the helmet. Sly put on his own helmet, and climbed onto the bike, waiting for Carmelita to do the same. She got on behind him, and put the helmet over her head.

"Hold on tight," He said. She wasn't exactly sure where to hold on to, so when he drove the bike into the street to join the traffic, she put her arms around his waist tightly. She heard Sly laugh, but they just kept driving.

Sly slowed the bike to a stop just outside of a quaint little French restaurant, and he felt Carmelita's arms pull away from around his waist, so she could take her helmet off. Sly did, too, and climbed off the bike, holding a hand out to her. She took it, and he helped her off the bike.

"So," Sly said casually, pulling her close to him. Carmelita wasn't surprised by his actions; she had expected him to do something. "Miss Fox. I have a question for you. What is the ending you expect to this evening? Tell me, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it ends that way."

"Well, I know I definitely want to be in my own bed when I wake up," Carmelita said. Sly gave her a shocked look.

"I wouldn't dream of anything of the sort," He replied, and started to lead her inside the restaurant. Carmelita laughed.

"I trust you, Sly," She said.

An hour later, after a wonderful dinner, Sly paid the bill, and he and Carmelita went out into the cool night air again. Sly had his arm around her waist, and they were laughing at what the other had to say. He was glad Carmelita was enjoying herself so much. She was a different person outside of work. At work, she was all about hardcore focus, trying to get it done, and get it done properly. Out here, she was laid back and relaxed, a side he was glad he was finally able to see. He hadn't seen her laugh, or smile very much, for that matter, when he was a thief, or even working as her partner. Once next to the bike, Sly handed Carmelita her helmet again, and she took it, climbing onto the bike behind him again. Revving the engine, Sly drove back out into the traffic, headed for a place where they could go dancing.

They found a place quite soon. It was a chic little club, packed with people. Most of them were young adults in their early and mid twenties. He even recognized a few people from the office at Interpol. Sly found a spot to park the bike, and after removing their helmets, Sly and Carmelita made their way to into the club. Inside, there was a warm, orangey-yellow glow from the lamp-lights hanging from the ceiling. The music playing when they walked in was fast, and Sly hoped a slower tune would play; he wanted a chance to slow dance with Carmelita.

There was a bar over on the far side of the club from the entrance. People sat around it, most of them males, watching some of the single women out on the dance floor. Sly recognized one of them at J.R. and a male Arctic fox was sitting next to him, drinking out of a beer bottle. They were talking, J.R. taking a great interest in one girl in particular. The Arctic fox looked like he could care less. Sly sniffed, and Carmelita looked up at him questioningly.

"What's the matter?" She asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"J.R.'s here," Sly said stiffly. Than he exhaled deeply, and looked down at Carmelita. Now that he thought about, he was a little worried he would loose Carmelita to J.R. He hoped she wasn't, or became, interested in him, though. She smiled at him, as if telling him he didn't have to worry.

"I'm already with a date," She said simply. Sly smiled. She was so amazingly incredible.

"West, I'm not going to let you throw your life away –" The irritated voice of J.R. said nearby. He was walking past them, following the Arctic fox Sly suspected to be the Westwood J.R. had been muttering about earlier that morning.

"J.R., I'm not throwing my life away. She's a good cop." West said, stopping behind Sly and Carmelita so he could talk to J.R. He had an American accent. Sly pulled Carmelita out onto the dance floor quickly, making it look like they were doing something. Carmelita was interested too, and was listening as Sly pulled her close to him, keeping an arm around her waist.

"She's a criminal!" J.R. snapped. Then he sighed, and Sly saw out of the corner of his eye J.R. put a hand on Westwood's shoulder. "West… look, I know you care about her, but once a –"

"Drop it," Westwood cut him off. "She's changed her ways. She's a good person, now, and one hell of an officer. We're going to come back in two weeks to get the Diamond from the museum, and hand it over to a secure facility, okay?"

"I don't trust Taylor." J.R. said. "She's… why do you even like her, anyway, she's serious, and she gets angry easily…"

"She's distressed right now." The Arctic fox replied, turning for the door again. "Once this whole issue with the Diamond is over and done with, she'll be happy. We'll both be happy once that damn jewel is safe and locked up tight."

J.R. sighed, rubbed his forehead, obviously struggling with conflicting thoughts. "Fine. Okay. We'll talk about this after you get back to New York."

"Yeah." Westwood said, turning for the door again. "Thanks for looking out for me. J.R., but really, I don't need it. Taylor and I work well together, and she's an amazing police officer."

"Yeah, with an amazingly huge temper." J.R. said, walking with him. Their voices faded out of earshot, and Sly looked down at Carmelita. She looked just as confused as he felt.

"I guess it's not our business." He said.

"I'm just curious about the 'Diamond' he was talking about," Carmelita said. "What diamond?"

Sly shrugged. "We should just enjoy the evening. Forget all that just happened."

Half an hour later, Sly and Carmelita made their way over to the bar to get a drink. It wasn't until then did Sly realize Robin was there. He was dancing with a raccoon girl with long dark hair pulled back into a high pony-tail. He was laughing at something she just whispered into his ear, and then Sly saw her walk away from him. He tried to see what her face looked like, but he could only see her from the side. Robin ran up to catch up with her, and she just gave him a flirty smile and a tilt of the head, saying something. Robin just smiled at her, replying to whatever it was she just said, and pointed over to the bar, and she nodded, and they both went their separate ways. Sly took a sip of the beer he had ordered as Robin walked his way.

"What's Robin doing here?" Carmelita asked curiously, obviously just noticing him. Sly shrugged.

"I'll ask him."

"Two beers," Robin said to the bartender, slapping money down on the counter, and he pulled himself up to sit on one of the bar stools. Then he realized he was sitting next to Sly, and Robin gave him a clap on the shoulder.

"Cooper!" He said happily. "I didn't know you were here."

"Just unwinding from a hard day's work with Carmelita," Sly said with a smile, gesturing to the vixen sitting next to him. Robin gave Carmelita a handsome smile.

"Inspector Fox," He said with a nod of his head. "You look lovely this evening."

"Thank you, Detective," Carmelita said with a smile, taking a sip of her drink.

"What are you doing here?" Sly asked.

"I'm here with a friend," Robin said, thanking the bartender for the two beers he just set in front of him. "She's just gone to the washroom, she should be back shortly."

"She looks cute," Sly said. "A raccoon, huh?"

"You shouldn't be looking at other women, Sly," Robin said jokingly. Sly laughed.

"I have no need," He said. "I have my date for the evening, I'm just commenting on your date's features."

"Yeah, she is cute," Robin agreed, looking back out at the dance floor.

"What's her name?" Sly asked.

"Merah," Robin replied.

"Pretty name," The raccoon said. Then he pointed with his empty hand towards the restrooms, "Is that her there?"

Robin looked, and smiled. "That'd be her. Excuse me, Sly, Carmelita. It was nice to talk with you."

"See you at work," Sly called as Robin left with the two beer bottles in his hands. He gave a little salute with one of the beer bottles, and Sly chuckled softly as he took another swig of his own beer. Then he looked over at Robin's girlfriend, and nearly choked. Forcing himself to swallow, Sly coughed, and Carmelita put a hand on his shoulder worriedly.

"Sly!" She said, and after Sly cleared his throat and got the bear out of his throat, he said, "I found Ringo."

"What?" Carmelita asked. Sly pointed to Robin, and the girl he was dancing with again. Carmelita looked, and then she looked back at Sly. "That's Ringo?"

Sly nodded, and smiled rather cunningly. "We know her first name, now, too. Merah Ringo."

I had found her. The thief that had carried my cane when I first chased her on the rooftops of Paris. The thief who claimed to know Bentley and Murray. She was right there, in the club Carmelita and I were at. But I didn't go arrest her. Why? Well, there were a couple of reasons.

First, she knew Bentley and Murray. I had already arrested one member of my old gang, Dimitri, and now that Merah was a part of it, I didn't want to arrest another member. Bentley and Murray would be so angry… and I didn't want them to hate me.

Second, I didn't want to ruin the moment between Merah and Robin. Why Robin was hanging around with the thief he was supposed to be tracking down, and in a public place, was a mystery, but they looked so happy together. And it made me thin back on the events Carmelita and I went through together when I was still a thief. Quite a coincidence that there was another raccoon thief out there who had feelings for another fox officer.

After I realized who Merah was, Carmelita and I decided it was time to go. So, I drove her home, and walked her up to her apartment. I would have kissed her if I hadn't been so distracted by the fact that we had just figured out the mystery thief's identity. I'd make it up to her in the morning, though. So, after saying goodnight, I rode home to my own apartment, ready to get up early in the morning, and confront Robin at work.

One mystery still remained, though. Why would Merah dress up like me and have my cane? It just seemed… strange to me. I knew that would be a question for Bentley once I ran into him.

End Of:

New Criminal, New Case

A/N: Alrighty! Part one of our story is complete! Mysteries have been tied up in this chapter, and you'll just have to figure them out.

I hope you've enjoyed this! R&R! Tell your friends about this story, too, I want to get as many reviews as possible.