Hey everyone,
I got to admit, part of me wishes it was working on The Fidelius Kept Secret and that I was continuing my daily posts. But I am having too much fun with this story and just want to gather some chapters together so I can have a bit of a backlog ready. I'll probably do the same with The Fidelius Kept Secret and maybe even To Read and To View as I really want to get the first KH game/movie portion of that story over and done with.
Oh, and I also have a few plans in regards to the future of this story. They involve Penelope and Panda King, but won't involve the Cooper Gang recruiting them. Instead I am going to bring out the Penelope from Thieves in Time a little early. Though it probably won't surprise you all to know that, like Darcy, she's still going to be in her teens and very, very susceptible to manipulation. That she is going to do something she really shouldn't be doing.
You'll see,

Venquine1990

Chapter 09
Learning More

23rd of June 2007
Urmila's Boutique
Sly's POV

It had taken me a few minutes after the kiss we shared while I had Carmelita up against the wall, but suddenly a realization had struck me. And when Bentley told me I could come up with ways to surprise Carmelita, a plan had sprung to mind. I know Crystal will want to follow Guru, Carmelita and Urmila, but before she could, I call out to her. "I'm going to need a massage table. For when Carmelita gets back." I tell her and the hummingbird happily complies.
"Going to give her a massage, huh Sly?" Bentley asks with a grin on his face, but there isn't one on mine. "Bentley, the whole reason Carmelita was able to keep up her act was because her body was way overstressed. All the concerns and fears that she has been bottling up, they were coursing through her every muscle, allowing her to keep them as tense as they were. That's beyond unhealthy and – I can't let her keep that up. Once she gets back, I am going to help her destress."

Bentley grimaces and I again wonder what it is that he heard on that drive that Michael gave him. Then suddenly I feel something attack and attach itself to my leg. I look down and my eyes widen in shock when I see an adorable little feline with the biggest brown eyes stare up at me. "Happy birthday, Mr. Cooper!" The little leopard girl, who I suddenly realize must be Angela, Michael's daughter, tells me. She lets go and pulls a folded bit of paper from her pocket.
She unfolds it and my shock increases when I see that there is a drawing of Carmelita and myself on the paper. "I made this for you, for your birthday." She proudly tells me and I happily take the drawing. It may have been drawn by a young girl, but I am really amazed at the talent behind the drawing as the detail on it is better than one would expect such a little thing to be able to create. "Thank you, you've got real talent."

The girl has a huge, adorable grin on her face and again that vision of little racoons and foxes comes up in my mind. Then my heart almost misses a beat when a beyond gorgeous white snow leopard enters the room and picks up the little grey-furred animal. She turns to my team and says: "Murray, considering the damage that was done to the hallway, Angela and I were wondering if we could see your ball form some other time."

"Oh sure, once Michael and the others have taken care of a few big baddies, we'll set up a new date to meet here. Then I'll show you both my Aboriginal Ball form and Angela can jump on my belly all she wants." Little Angela makes a loud exclamation of joy at this and the woman, Melanie I guess, smiles warmly as she says: "That's wonderful. Now, Angela and I are going to head out. We'll head for the park and then back home. We'll see you all another time."
But Bentley stops her and says: "Wait just one minute, you guys." He rides his chair out of the room and comes back a few minutes later with a small box on his lap. "I cut up a bit of the cake. Sorry Sly, but they deserve to take some home with them to enjoy as well. They've really been there for Carmelita. It wouldn't be fair to have them miss out." I easily agree on this and I happily let my brother know this too.
"Thank you, Mr. Bennie." Bentley turns a little red at hearing Angela's trouble with his name and he stutters: "Eh, no problem, little one. You just promise me that, if Carmelita comes to visit again, you make sure to make her smile, okay?" The girl might only be a few years old, but the way she nods her head proves she's going to try hard to keep her promise. Melanie smiles between the two and she heads for her husband. And the way they share a loving kiss and the way that Michael gives his daughter a big hug makes me wish Carmelita was back already.

The two leave and then suddenly Marcus asks: "Sly, can you come over here? I'd like to tell you and the others something." I go back to the seat I was in previous and the man starts his tale: "I don't know if you know this, but – when Carmelita had her first prom at high school, it was a masquerade ball kind of prom." Instantly I ask the man: "Are you sure Carmelita would be okay with you telling me this about her?"
The man smiles at me and says: "She loves it when I tell this story. Plus, it has an extra meaning, one that connects to your relationship with my daughter." Instantly the same tension I felt when I realized he had heard me talk about how badly I wanted to marry his daughter comes back to me. I try not to let it show in my body and just seat myself in such a way that it looks like I am genuinely curious. Marcus seems to catch onto this and he says:

"Anyway, even back then most boys and men around her only cared for her looks, not so much her character. But back then, she was much more willing to dream and believe in fairy tales, she held onto them as a way to help her see the best in men and give her hope for her future. Like I said, her first prom was a ball kind of prom and Carmelita, she went as a princess. And not just any princess, but Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Though she picked the dress Belle wore in An Enchanted Christmas; the red and yellow one with the roses on the bodice and on the arms." Images of what Carmelita might look like rush through my mind and I feel like an idiot for never asking Urmila to make these for the lovely fox. Especially as I envision how incredible the red and yellow would mix with her own tanned and orange fur. Marcus seems to notice this about me as his grin broadens a little.

"I personally escorted my little girl to that prom, while Cheren here went with Helena. We had agreed to go as a family as soon as we heard that it was happening and because I had already gained quite the name for myself – I actually was an Inspector myself, back then – none of her classmates dared to make fun of her for going with her old man. And luckily enough, neither did any of those hormonal jerks try anything funny.
However, like I said, the reason I am telling this story is directly connected with your relationship with my daughter." I seriously wonder why the man doesn't sound more stern or cautionary at this point. Instead he is still smiling at me. "You can relax, son. Like I said before, you are everything I ever wanted for my daughter. And that's what reminds me of that one prom. Because ever since then I have been dreaming that, one day, she would meet her prince.

She did, Sly, when she met you. But like Beauty and the Beast, there was a curse between you guys. The Interpol curse. And I don't mean Barkley. I mean the fact that working at Interpol can easily make a person see the world in black and white and forget about the grey between. You were that grey, you've always been. Heck, going by what I've heard, it sounds like your family has been the grey line of history for centuries."
I have gone to relax as the man spoke and Marcus leans back with an arm around his wife's form. And while I shortly envision myself to be in his shoes one day – maybe someday soon – the man continues as he says: "And that's why I'm so happy that she's found you, Sly. Because neither the law nor a real relationship can be considered workable if you see it in only black and white. In both cases, grey is the best color to go with. And then I'm not talking about that fur color of yours."
I burst out laughing at this and after I'm done, Marcus sends me a smile as he says: "I have no doubt that you and Carmelita are going to have hard times ahead of you. Not just because I'm sure we're all underestimating what it means to be a Master Thief, but because you're both as stubborn as they come. But you've also worked together quite brilliantly in the past and I'm confident that you will continue for years to come." The man does something I really hadn't expected.

He stands up and heads over to me. Out of instinct I get up as well. The man, who is only half a head taller than me, puts his hands firmly on top of my shoulders and says: "I may not know you all that well yet, Sly Cooper, but I have looked up a bit of your backstory. I learned about what you went through when you were just eight years old. And while I'm sure that I will never be able to replace Connor for you, I'd like to continue where he left off. If you'll let me."
Words escape me. In all the years that I have cared for and loved Carmelita and dreamed of one day being by her side, the idea of gaining a new family through her never occurred to me. I feel like a first class jerk for not realizing that, unlike me, the chance was slim that she was without her parents. I feel tears starting to press against my eyelids and Marcus seems to notice this. He pulls me close and suddenly, it feels like I am eight years old again. I feel like I am back in my father's arms.

This does it for me and I start to cry. Marcus keeps a strong, yet caring hold on my form and I grab his shirt with both my hands, fisting them as I cry. Not just out of pain of losing my dad, but out of sheer gratitude and honor that this man is so willing to open his heart for me, to let me in like this on the first day he met me. And while I can't see them, I'm sure Bentley and Murray are in tears as well. But then I remember that Carmelita could be back any minute now.
I really don't want my lovely vixen to think that something is wrong, so I try to regain my bearing. My tears slowly stop flowing and I take a few deep breaths to regain myself and my strength. Marcus pulls away and I mutter: "Thanks, I – I needed that." The man smiles at me and says: "Just consider it a gift. Both for your birthday and for the help you've been giving my daughter all these years." I grin back at the man and mutter: "I'm going to go. I need to freshen up before Carmelita sees me like this. I can't have her worry over me, she has enough to stress her out."

Everyone nods and a few minutes and a quick stop at the restroom later, I feel back to my old, smooth, confident self. And just in time too as, just as I sit back down, the delectable voice of my precious vixen speaks up. "Ola, birthday boy." I see the others gaping at the doorway and this excites me. But when I turn to the door myself, even though I know Carmelita will look incredible, I still feel shock overwhelm me at how incredible she looks.
A red and yellow bodice, a black belt with red and yellow sun-shaped buckle, a yellow peplum that hugs her hips incredibly well and a skirt of which the top half is red with two yellow lines running down the front and the bottom have with the colors reversed. The bottom half of the skirt flares out at the knees and this, together with the body-tight short bodice really makes her legs look almost endless. This fact is also further emphasized by the yellow heels with red toes.

"Caramba di Mama, sis. You look smoking hot!" Cheren's words startle me out of my funk and Carmelita twirls on her axis, which makes the bottom half of her skirt flare out. I work hard to resist the urge to look down there, as I know myself well enough that my eyes could easily get stuck on the portion of her body that is covered and defined by the peplum. And then I remember what I had planned and this helps me focus.
I head over to where she's standing and run a hand through her hair and down the side of her face. "You like?" Carmelita asks, though her voice makes it obvious that she's just jesting with me. I grin at her and say: "That depends. Does this show how much I like it?" And before the fox can ask, I press my lips fiercely against hers. I absolutely love the fact that Carmelita wraps her arms around my neck and yet I make sure to put my hands above her peplum skirt.

Yet as I hold her by her waist, I can feel the evidence of my earlier words. Even now that she is enjoying our time together; there are very tense muscles all over Carmelita's body. Because of this I cut the kiss short and whisper: "Now we just can't have that." The fox raises her eyebrow at me and I guide her over to where Crystal set down the massage table. Her eyes widen when she sees it and then she turns her head to grin at me.
I lovingly smile back at her and mutter softly: "On your front, on you go." And Carmelita complies without a word of protest. It sincerely amazes to see her expose her vulnerable back to me just like that and my heart skips a beat in glee over the trust that the vixen is so willing to give to me. I make sure to crack my fingers in preparation, just like I always do before I crack open a safe, and then put my hands on her upper back.

My worries return tenfold when I start to rub and massage the fox's back. Her form might make it look like she is relaxing, but every last muscle, tendon and ligament in her back is tight with tension, as if they are on the verge of snapping in two. And the fact that this even counts for the muscles in the back of her neck and the muscles that go from her neck to her shoulders make me mutter: "There is no way you have been getting enough sleep lately."
"I slept in this morning. I didn't wake until nine." Carmelita argues, but I say: "But I bet you were exhausted by nine last night, weren't you?" The fox moans, yet there is confirmation in her tone. "Your whole body is tense, Carmelita. And that underlying tension tires your body out faster than you normally would be. Some would even say that, even if you only worked half a day, you'd still be overworking, because of how tense your body is.

It's seriously unhealthy." I work on most of her upper body as I say this, making sure to pay attention to each and every tense bit of muscle I can feel moving under my hands and not moving onto the next one until I feel the current one loosening up. "How do you know all of this?" Carmelita asks, yet there is a bit of a slur in her tone. I shortly smile at this as it proves that the fox is indeed starting to relax and I say: "I followed a course while in the orphanage.
I knew the job we had ahead of us, getting back the Thievius Raccoonus, becoming Master Thieves and taking out the Fiendish Five, would really stress out my friends. I was grateful that they were willing to put their personal fears over all that to the side for me and felt that helping them destress from time to time was the best way to thank them. Though when they found out I was doing this, they also studied ways to help me relax. We all have our own ways to help each other these days. "

Carmelita lets out a huge loud moan and I notice her body reposition itself. The new way her body lies on the bed is a lot more relaxed and the relaxed stance also looks a lot more natural, not like Carmelita is just trying to calm her body down, but as if her body is finding its natural calm state once again. This sight fills me with intense pride and while I finish up kneading and massaging the muscles just below her shoulder pads, I say:
"That's it, gorgeous. Just relax. Just let your body let go off all the stress it has been carrying. Let go and relax. You're not alone anymore, Carmelita. We're here for you now. We're here and we're all going to help you. You can let go now, my love." And while I have my back turned to them, I know for a fact that everyone is nodding in agreement with me. And Carmelita responds by raising her arm and running her finger lovingly, but also lazily down my arm.

I smile at her for this and then move my focus further down her back. To my relief, her muscles seem less tense down here and so it takes less time for me to help them loosen up. Little by little I work down her body, yet slowly I also move closer and closer to her delectable rear. My eyes definitely stray to it from time to time, a fact that isn't really helped by the way that the peplum almost pulls my eyes to the bit of her body that is underneath it.
Yet every time my eyes stray, I force my gaze back to the point I am working on and ignore how the space between where I am working on her lower back and her rear end is slowly decreasing. I feel my hands working further down her spine to the point of her tail and when I reach it, I gently push it to the side. But instead of touching the skin underneath it, I turn and move over to her left leg. And I make sure to put my hands on the back of her thigh as I continue.

"Hmmmm, Sly?" Carmelita asks and I reply: "Yes gorgeous?" And my eyes widen considerably as she whispers: "You skipped a bit." My heart skips several beats and then starts to beat several times faster as I realize her implications. I take deep breaths to calm myself down and simply say: "I know I did." I notice her turn her head to look my way and the look in her eyes is almost my undoing. "I trust you, Sly. It's okay."
She whispers at me, but I pull all of my strength and my respect for her together. I move back to where her head is lying and gently, lovingly kiss her on the lips as I whisper: "It's not a matter of trust, my gorgeous. It's a matter of respect. Don't get me wrong, that rear of yours is the most delectable I have ever seen and my eyes stray to it almost all the time. But not yet, Carmelita. Not yet." Carmelita's grin is huge as she smiles back at me and she pulls me in for another kiss.

"Thank you, Ringtail. Thank you for your respect and your honesty. I – I was afraid that you – that you weren't attracted to me – that way." My eyes widen when I hear this delectable bit of vixen flesh admit this and I mutter: "Come with me." I pull her off of the table and tell the others: "Give us five, will you guys?" The group nods and Bentley says: "When you get back, it's time for cake." I nod at him and then guide the luscious looking fox out of the room.
My eyes do shortly widen when I see the damage that Bentley caused to the hallway as the concrete floor has a few craters and a couple of the iron beams holding up the higher floors miss bits and pieces. But then I remember who stands next to me and her last words ring through my ears again. I turn to Carmelita and ask: "Do you want to know what I would do if I didn't respect you to the level that I do?"

The fox looks curious for a moment and then gives me a single nod. And that simple gesture is all it takes. Instantly the fox is up against the wall, my leg between hers and pushing up her skirt. My right hand is in her hair at the higher part of her neck to hold her head in place and my left is on her chest, kneading and massaging her breast. Carmelita moans and the guttural sound that escapes her unleashes a growl of lust and want from my throat.
But when I suddenly feel her starting to move her hips onto my leg, I pull back on all the lustful desires and pull away. Carmelita pants and a good portion of her dress is now a wrangled mess. I quickly make sure to fix this and then, when she's presentable again, I fix her with a stare. "Never again think that you don't turn me on. Carmelita. The fantasies you see hanging in that room are not my only ones. Remember that."
Carmelita nods, a glazed look in her eyes and a mewl of want still escaping her throat. I feel my own body tensing as I work my hardest to resist answering to that desire of hers. Instead I turn around, silently giving her time to regain her composure. And a few minutes later, Carmelita wraps her arms around me from behind and whispers: "Thank you, Sly." I tilt my head and lovingly smile at her before I whisper: "Let's go join the others." And Carmelita nods.

Okay, I HAD to do that.
Everyone and their mother knows that Sly has the hots for Carmelita. And with how sexy she dresses herself sometimes, it's only natural that Sly would get physically attracted to her. But he is a gentlemen and he tries to keep the fact that Carmelita's parents are in the room with her into account. Which is why he left the room when he felt the need to prove her and her fears wrong. Though don't expect an actual smut scenes.
Okay, later,

Venquine1990