Hey everyone,
I am going to be honest with all of you. This chapter is probably going to be pretty short. At first I wanted to put both Michael's interview and Sly's visit to Heathrow Prison into this chapter. But considering the things that will be discussed between Sly, McSweeney and the Fiendish Four – as I decided to call them from now on – I realized that that would make the chapter long enough to be a two-parter and I didn't feel like having that.
Sorry, guys,

Venquine1990

Chapter 24
Interviews And Care

26th of June 2007
Cooper Hide Out
Sly's POV

Carmelita had needed a reminder of every time I tricked her through one of my disguises and, just to make my beloved feel more comfortable, I read up on Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the Third's chapter on Disguises, Deception and Charm. Carmelita herself had been quite interested in the fact that Tennessee Kid Cooper was Thaddeus' son and that Thaddeus had lived in England, while Tennessee made name for himself as the Greatest Outlaw of the Old West.
So after reading the chapter a few more times to make sure that I had the whole thing memorized, I happily spent the rest of the night entertaining the Fox family with a few tales of my ancestors. I felt a little cautious with telling them about Tennessee's most famous heist on one of the biggest bank in the Old West, but the family seemed genuinely interested. Cheren and Marcus had been amazed and intrigued to hear that Tennessee created his technique to travel across train tracks.

"You'd think that with train tracks being level all the time and with a slide usually involving you going down something, that the two wouldn't work together or something." Marcus muttered and I grinned as I said: "For most that is true. And unfortunately, while I can indeed teach you the two techniques, you will definitely need a bit of demotion. This doesn't count for those who are of Cooper blood, we can use the technique on any kind of rail and on any kind of platform, but still."
After this and after dinner, I had taken the family into the Hazard room and shown them what I meant. Bentley had brought out a rail that twisted, turned, went up and down and even had loops at certain points. The Fox family had been awed and a little uneasy when they saw the rail, but I assured them. "This is the kind of rail that I train on. Like I said, only someone of Cooper blood can use this technique on a rail that goes up. You guys will be training on a different track."

The family had been relieved to hear this and I told them: "Now, allow me to show you how someone of Cooper Blood can use the Rail Slide Technique. And remember, other than the points where the rail goes up, with the right training, you will one day be able to use this technique in the same manner." The foxes had nodded and I had happily drawn on the energy I was born with 23 years ago. The energy had surged through me and I had taken a running leap at the tracks.
I had twisted on my axis just before I landed and this had, as always, allowed me to guide the energy into my legs and feet. And while I kept my left leg in front of my right, while I kept my right arm out behind me and my left bent at the elbow, I rode the entire track. I moved my upper body like I was surfing or something at the turns and jumped over the points where the loops made me need to jump over the old bit of track.
I had focused fully on the energy in my legs to keep my feet stuck to the tracks as the track turned me upside down in one of the loops and this had really amazed the family. And the whole time I almost felt like I was in the Old West myself. I could even imagine myself sliding right alongside Tennessee Kid Cooper as we went after trains filled with stolen gold and other treasures, grinning at each other as we caught up to the, for the time, high-speed vehicles.

I had ended my ride and Cheren had cheered and said: "I know we can't ever get to use this technique like a real Cooper, but damn if I'm not excited to start training after seeing that!" His excitement had really pleased me, yet I had reminded him that studying from the Thievius Raccoonus would also be pivotal for his training. "After all, all you really need to know about these techniques is written in that book, so you will need to read it several times over in the next few months."
The Foxes had understood this and we had gone to bed. Before the two of us had separated to go to our own bedrooms, I had quickly taken Carmelita in my arms once again and whispered: "Now do you feel more comfortable with my trip tomorrow?" Carmelita had nodded and muttered: "I'm sorry, Sly. Everything that happened the last few days made me hesitant and fearful. I shouldn't have doubted your skills."
I had reassured her and muttered: "I don't mind. I don't see it as you doubting my skill. I see it as you caring for me and wanting me by your side. That's the one thing we both want above all. Trust me, Carmelita. If I had any belief that this little trip could risk my future by your side, I would not be half as confident in this as I am." The fox had been really touched to hear this and we had shared a kiss goodnight before going to bed.

I woke up earlier this morning and, just to be extra safe, I read through the chapter one more time. I also tried to remember what I knew about Heathrow prison from the last time I was there a few months ago while I was showering. And I mentally mapped out what I knew of the cells and their placement when it came to the Four and McSweeney. The thought of that huge walrus reminded me of his strength, which he had shown me he had not lost in the slightest the last time I visited and this had made me smirk as he reminded me of Murray.
By now breakfast is ready, yet just when we all want to sit down at our new table, Cheren yells: "Guys, get your plates in here! The news is already covering yesterday's event at Interpol!" And instantly we all rush into the living room with our plates of food, even though I only have a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. Cheren is in front of the television and when we've all taken our seats, he turns up the volume.

We see Michael standing in front of Interpol France and the leopard looks seriously impressive in his business suit, even as I spot that he is also hiding a few nerves of his. There is a black and white female peacock standing next to him with a microphone in her hand and the bird says: "Thank you, Rob. I am Tracey Mulligan and I am standing here with Interpol France's own Head of Re-Organization and the new Chief of Police, Michael Andrews."
"Nice!" Cheren yells and Carmen happily declares: "Good for him." Tracey turns to Michael and asks: "Chief Edwards, can you give us a brief summary of the events that transpired here earlier yesterday afternoon? For those of us who were unfortunately not here or out of town for the day or something?" Michael grins at her and I feel impressed as you can hardly see that he is still slightly nervous with how pleasantly he is grinning.

"I sure can, Tracey. For those of you who don't know, a few years ago Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox was framed for working alongside the Cooper Gang, who – like Interpol – were after the Clockwerk parts that had been stolen by the Claww Gang. She was made into a prisoner first and later a fugitive. During this time, both former Constable Neyla and former Chief of Police James Barkley ran a very nasty slander campaign against her here at Interpol France.
I myself hardly worked at the office during these months, so I was, unfortunately, oblivious to what Barkley was doing besides the slander. He was, apparently, using the slander to bribe and corrupt several people inside Interpol. And by the time that Inspector Fox had cleared her name and saved us all from being hateful zombies whose hatred would feed the power of a mechanical menace also known as Clock-La, my whole floor thought only too negative of her.

I won't go into detail on what my floor actually thought of Inspector Fox, but let me say this. In all my years of arresting various kinds of men, Barkley ranks in the Top 5 if I were to be professional – and he would be ranked #1 if I were to give my personal opinion. And I arrest both murderers as well as robbers and even rapists." The peacock nods and asks: "And yesterday you, Inspector Fox and Interpol International put a stop to all of this, correct?"
Michael nods and says: "Indeed. Thanks to a source who would rather remain anonymous, I managed to get in contact with our city's other hero, Sly Cooper, who as many know was the gunman that helped Inspector Fox take down Clock-La and who also provided her with the Hate Chip that powered the mechanical menace. He has, as some may or may not know, shown a good level of care for Carmelita and I felt like I could rely on that to help Carmelita in this case.
I was proven right and thanks to the brain of the Cooper team, the turtle named Bentley, I was able to find out about Barkley and his illegal spice farm, so to say. Then I got the luck that Carmelita's sister, Helena Fox, has a mean and protective streak the size of our own fair country, and I was able to both get these spices as evidence and get them in Barkley's food. This, I won't deny, played a large role in us being able to arrest the former Chief the other day."

"I take it you mean the fact that he left his Shock Gun in his office as ordered and that he followed Inspector Fox's orders to the letter, regardless of the fact that he considered her beneath him?" Tracey asks and this time Michael really grins. "You hit the nail on the head, Tracey. And because Carmelita proved that, no matter what, she was constantly more professional than Barkley, she got the best kind of revenge on him."
"I'm sorry to say this, Chief, but I'm afraid I don't quite follow. Inspector Fox didn't look like she was out for revenge at all when she arrested the former Chief of Police. She even tried to warn him when he tried to take on Sly Cooper, who was with her, correct?" Tracey asks confused and I grin at Carmelita, who seems shocked at Michael's statement. "Just listen. Michael's right. You'll see what he means. How brilliant you were." I tell her.

"James Barkley, like everyone, has a vice. And his is his ego. It's bigger than the Eifel Tower, which is why he thought he could get away with everything he pulled. And the one reason he wanted Carmelita was because she had a strong character. He wanted to break that, to make her submit to him. When Sly Cooper came into the picture, Barkley felt threatened and decided that he should be the one man in Carmelita's life, the one person most important to her.
But when it all came down to it, Carmelita treated the whole affair no different than she did when she arrested the Panda King, Sir Raleigh or even Don Octavio. She, perhaps even without meaning to, gave Barkley a message, not through her words, but through her actions. And that message was made even more clear when she, instead of escorting Barkley to a truck herself, let one of the guard apes do so for her.

That kind of professional disinterest in who Barkley is and what he believes, is like her telling him you're nothing to me. You're just another case and I am just doing my job. This is just another file that I close and file away. I don't need to bother with you when I have others to help me take care of you. And the fact that she followed this all with rejoining Sly at his side was like the ultimate thorn in Barkley's side, as that was her telling him that she already had someone more important to her than he could ever be, that she had made her choice, herself.
So you see, Tracey. Because Carmelita remained professional and in control, she proved her strength and proved that Barkley, no matter how hard he had tried these past two years, had failed in all his efforts. She had basically told him that he had wasted the last two years of his life. And that, to me, is the best kind of revenge." By now Michael is happily leaning against the sign post he is standing next to and Tracey is beaming in glee at his words.

"That sounds – amazing. Anyway, onto other matters. What do you believe is the future of Interpol France now that so many of the Inspectors and other men have been arrested?" Michael sighs and states: "I won't lie. I am very glad and grateful that Interpol International has a Division close to our own. They are offering all of their Offensive and Patrolling Units to replace all of the Inspectors that are currently in cells awaiting their interrogation.
Unfortunately, because I have found evidence that the corruption goes all the way to our own Top Dog, Chief Roland Cheswick, I feel the need to comb all of Interpol France with the finest toothed comb you can imagine. At the current moment, I consider Interpol to be divided over four kinds of people. The Corrupt, the victims, the naïve and the selfish. The latter are people who have known, but just didn't care enough to do their job and do something."

Tracey nods and Michael sighs as he says: "I won't lie and say it will be easy, especially considering that we lost more than our Chief of Police the other day, but – if I had to pick between having to do this myself and the future that Inspector Fox might be missing out on now that she has decided what she has – I can't ask that of her. Not after everything she's been through. And I want it perfectly clear, High Lord Kovu himself has given Carmelita his blessing."
"Would you care to give a further explanation, Chief?" Tracey asks and Carmelita mumbles: "Here it comes." Yet I grin at her and whisper: "It's going to be official from now on, love." The gorgeous vixen shortly grins at me and then turns back to the screen. And while I pull her close against my side, Michael says: "As I said, I got Sly Cooper's help in taking Barkley down. But in the process, Interpol lost its best Inspector ever – to her new boyfriend and one true love.

Carmelita is now in training to be a Master Thief, just like the one that stole her heart when he came to her rescue a few days ago. And trust me, after I saw how Sly treated her on his own birthday, as if she was the birthday girl instead of him, I couldn't be happier for her. She's in the right hands, even if they are the hands of someone who's on the grey side of the law." Michael jokes at the end and we all laugh. Then he gets back on both feet and tells Tracey:
"That's all the time I've got, Trace. I've got to get back to work." The Peacock, who had giggled at his little quip nods and while Michael walks away, she turns to the camera and says: "There you have it, folks. Inspector Michael Edwards is now Chief of Police and determined to once again make Interpol France the noble Institution it's supposed to be. In the meantime, we can count on International to keep us safe and maybe, just maybe, the Cooper Gang and their newest member.

This has been Tracey Mulligan. Back to you, Rob." The screen changes to show a wolf in a nice business suit sitting behind a desk. "Thank you, Tracey. And I would like to let our viewers know that we of Arte give our full support to former Inspector Carmelita Fox. She and Sly Cooper saved our noble country and we are all very happy that she found love with him in the end, especially considering the life her own boss had been putting on her. Truly, I think I speak for us all when I say that this story reminds me of Disney's Aladdin."
"OH MY GOD! They stole that from Le Monde! I gave that same comparison to little Darcy when she interviewed me! I can't believe those guys!" Carmelita shouts and we all laugh before I say: "They might not have stolen it, love. It's perfectly possible for them to just be of the same opinion. It certainly does sound that way, don't you think? The comparison between us and Barkley as well as Jasmine, Aladdin and Jafar."

Carmelita groans, but then she grins and says: "When I left Darcy to come back to the party, she actually compared Barkley to Jafar herself. She told me that she wouldn't share my secrets with him, no matter how much he creeped her out. That poor thing. I swear, she was only in her teens and it was so obvious that this was one of her very first interviews. And then to have to meet with Barkley two times." She shakes her head and groans again.
I definitely agree with her, yet at the same time I start to feel a little anxious, just like I always do before I go out on a heist or mission. I lean back against the couch as the news continues to report other things. Yet I really don't care much and only listen with half an ear. Instead, I focus on the beautiful vixen besides me and I gently start to run a hand down her hair. Carmelita sighs and then grins at me, love clear in her eyes.
And then the vixen just makes all my nerves go away as she quips: "You know, I purposely forgot to brush my hair after I left the shower this morning." Instantly I respond and lift her up in my arms. "We'll be back in a few, guys." I tell the others, who just all laugh as I carry Carmelita up the stairs and back into her bedroom. And when I see that she's already laid her brush on her bedside table, my heart soars with love and glee.

"Gorgeous, if you'd like me to, I am going to go a little beyond just combing your luscious locks." I gently suggest and Carmelita gives me a grin over her shoulder as she says: "Live yourself out, my love." I widely grin back at her and ask: "Where exactly do you keep your other hair accessories?" Carmelita motions for the wardrobe with drawers and says: "The top drawer." I nod and swiftly fetch a few different kinds of combs as well as hair clips, bands and even a different kind of brush.
I return to her side and put the whole thing down on her bedside table. Then I climb back onto the bed with her and for the next hour or so, I try to work my magic on her hair. I comb and brush it with three different combs to make sure I get all of the knots. I also use two different combs for the fur on her ears as well as the hair around her ears. I clip parts of her fringe and bits of her hair to the side of her face and again braid the rest of her hair.

But just when I am halfway done, I again remember how beautiful she looked in that wedding dress. Instantly I get an idea and I quickly, but gently undo the braid. Then I grab the brush again and start to gather some of her long locks up to the top of her head. With one hand I hold it all together and for a short second, I put the brush aside and grab a hairband instead. I put this between my teeth and then grab the brush again and continue my work.
Finally I have half of her hair up in a bun on the top back of her head and I click the headband closed around it. I then grab two of the combs again and work on the last few knots that got into her hair as I brushed bits of it up and down her back and the back of her neck. Finally I am done and a huge grin is on my face when I look at how incredible and gorgeous Carmelita looks, even if I can't see her face and only the back of her head right now.

"You, my love, look good enough to make Belle feel jealous." I mutter and Carmelita gives me a confused raised eyebrow. "Go see for yourself. I figured that hairstyle of hers would fit you brilliantly, even if your hair is way longer than hers." The vixen gets off the bed, the water in it swirling beneath the surface and she moves over to the floor-length mirror. And I feel a huge surge of pride and satisfaction when the fox gasps in shock and turns her head sideways to check out her new hairdo in the mirror from various angles.
I get off the bed myself and move over to stand behind her. I wrap my arms around her waist and mutter: "I know, you're beautiful." Carmelita smiles at me through the image of the mirror and I just can't help myself. While I lie my head on her shoulder, I mutter: "Just look at us, gorgeous. We're meant for each other. We fit each other so perfectly. And now, we're together. And I am never letting go of you again. You, Carmelita, are my one true treasure."

The fox happily wraps her arms around my own as the two of us stare at our reflection. Like this we keep standing for a few minutes and then I move my head up and kiss her on the cheek as I whisper: "I'll be back soon." Carmelita's smile fades from her face for a moment, but then she smiles back at me. "I trust you, Sly. But please, come back to me." Her voice is desperate and I realize that, while she doesn't doubt my abilities, she does fear for me.
I feel my heart soar with love for this loveable being in my arms and whisper: "Always. Like I said, I am never letting go of you again." I pull away from her and turn her around. I grab her hand and bow as I kiss the back of it. "One day, Carmelita. One day, this hand will have a wedding ring on it. My wedding ring. You will be Carmelita Cooper one day. And I will not let anything or anyone stop me from making that happen." And with that vow, I leave her room.

Well said, Sly.
And just like that I still managed to make this chapter a nice, acceptable length. I was kind of trying to just find a good point in which to transition to the moment that Sly managed to get into Heathrow Prison, but then I remembered that that was going to be next chapter, so I decided to just put as much care, attention and detail in this little act between Sly and Carmelita as possible. Cause it's like I had Sly say; he absolutely adores Carmelita for her luscious locks.
Understandable, right,

Venquine1990