A/N: We've not had a good emotional Carmelita in a while. I really enjoyed writing the last chapter. I thought Bentley was being pretty clever but I'm not quite sure how I came up with that stealth camouflage … Cool huh? The wildest thing about that is that it's already been invented but it's not mainstream yet. Rad stuff. At any rate, a lot of things are about to hit and Carmelita has a brush with her personal emotions due to being overtired, even after feeling slightly rested from the short nap with the wild dream. A whole lot of things are coming down at once and she's beginning to realize that she's in the middle of it all and there is more at stake than she wants on her shoulders right now. The reason I've taken so long with this story is because my THIRD son was born December 29th at 8:20pm (20:20hrs, Eastern Time -5:00 GMT) and was exactly 6 pounds; 18.5 inches. His name is Tyler DeForest Carpenter-Weaver. Not only that but I've been terribly busy with the Band, Work, other stories, family drama… I plan to keep up on this story again. I promise :)

I ask you guys what you want me to do with Karla and Clockwerk in the Author's note that I include at the end of the chapter. Please, enjoy and thank you for reading, so far!

-kit

Chapter 12: On The Verge Of

An Emotional Collapse

Karla Chintzy paced the empty living room area. There was a dusty sofa on the side, in far worse condition than the one at the other short-lived safe-house. Carmelita was in the room and the two of them continued to exchange nasty glares every so often. In the next room over, the Cooper gang was assembled and working out a plan of action.

Penelope, Bentley and Murray were sitting in chairs at the table. Sly, on the other side of the table, was slouched down into his seat, half supported by his cane, which touched the floor. "And that's why Bentley's plan, for the first time ever, isn't going to work," He told them. "I heard this Skunk guy say it with my own ears. He detailed Bentley's basic plot outline to perfection. We've got to do something else."

"This is, indeed, a very cumbersome and inconvenient problem," Bentley sighed. "I have a plan B, C and D but the last two plans involve 'all else fails' tactics. Let's stick with plan 'B' for now."

"How many plans do you like to have as a back up?" Sly chuckled.

"As many as possible, right lil' buddy?" Murray noted.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Bentley replied to the hippo with a casual grin. "Plan B was to storm the place with stealth and leave someone here at the Safe House to run a decoy in the city, to give the appearance that we're out in the streets instead of working our way through the bank."

"I know you and the way you present things," Sly said, sitting up properly and using the hook of his cane to push the brim of his hat upwards. "There's a catch."

"You're right," Bentley replied, adding, "You're going back to jail."

Sly blinked, as did Penelope and Murray. Sly leaned forward over the table, onto his elbows. "Say again?"

"We stage you getting recaptured. Karla will let you out when it's time to strike and then, after everyone is in position," Bentley told the group. He never paused, continuing to tell them, "Penelope and I will personally disrupt their security measures in the field and Murray will cause a large distraction by taking out the support areas surrounding the old vault where Clockwerk is being constructed.

"This will cause the entire structure to collapse. Clockwerk won't be harmed but it will slow down the final stages of his construction; stages which we are assuredly now in. Finally, when everything is in place, I'll release the lock on your cell, electronically, if Karla doesn't teleport you out, herself. Then we'll grab whatever we can to ruin Clockwerk's day, smash whatever we have to smash and leave… I'll have rigged the building with enough explosives that when we leave, we level it." Bentley glanced from Penelope to Murray, his eyes finally landing on Sly. "Any questions?"

The white-furred mouse lowered her eyes then re-lifted them, facing the short, green chelonian. "I feel like we're rushing into this; it's a shame we don't have time to secure photograph surveillance first," Penelope mused.

The tortoise frowned thoughtfully and tilted his head. "Unfortunately, we're beyond being out of time," Bentley admitted sourly. "I'll have Carmelita stage a decoy to keep this Reaper guy distracted and she'll be at a safe distance. We have no time to spare, let's go gang." The group stood up and everyone headed for the door except for Sly.

Cooper went into the next room, only seconds after Karla had disappeared, leaving Carmelita alone. He approached the vulpine cop and sat down on the sofa, leaving his cane by the window. She narrowed her eyes at him, then frowned when she saw his expression. Finally, the vixen broke her nerve and approached the raccoon, sitting down besides him.

Blood still matted the side of her face where the bullet had pierced the tip of her ear. Both were in need of a shower and Sly was still sore from having a gash in his upper back. Penelope had done a fair job of stitching him up but it still ached with every step he took, due to the way he walked when trying to maintain silence.

It was no secret that Sly liked to arch his back and roll his shoulders with every step to ensure absolute silence when he stalked around town. His body faired no better than her ear right now and both felt as banged up as they looked. "Thank you for opening the cell back in the bank. Ya did real well, Carmelita. The gang and I are about to head back there and see if we can't finish the job."

"And where do I fit into this grand scheme?" She asked, folding her paws across her chest.

"You're going to make use of whatever goodies and gadgets Bentley has left in his duffle bags to create a diversion to keep Reaper on the outskirts of town," Sly replied.

The vixen frowned thoughtfully. She hated sitting idle. "Sly, why did you lie to me?"

The question came from out of nowhere. Sly glanced down at his paws. He may have been a thief but he was an honest-heart and lying to her did cause him guilt. "I faked amnesia to get closer to you. Angry?"

Carmelita shook her head slowly, "For once, I'm not angry. But why couldn't you just tell me?"

"The bad guys don't just convert over night unless it's something extreme like that," Sly mused.

"But Cooper, you're not one of the bad guys," Carmelita cogitated thoughtfully. "For the first time, I see that you're out here doing a job. Just like me. Your job is a little more personal than mine and I take my job a little more personal than you. So, all in all, we're passionate about our work. I realized, when I saw Clockwerk back in that bank vault, towering to the ceiling, that you didn't just leave to stop this to keep your future family safe," She paused, glancing down for a moment.

"But you didn't leave soon enough because you were busy with me," She added. "I've had nightmares for days, Sly. In them, Clockwerk kills you while I look on, helplessly. We … we kiss, I get emotional and he attacks. Every time, he kills you, then I wake up and it's different every time. Am I just that obsessed with you, Sly?"

"I don't think so," Cooper told her, noting that she was starting to call him by his first name more frequently. That could only mean one thing; she was worried for his health, especially after they both narrowly escaped the hallway of supernatural freaks. Clockwerk was only the climatic leftover if they couldn't stop his construction in time.

After the thoughtful pause, Sly added, "You've never dated a guy before, until we became partners, right?" To his inquiry, Carmelita nodded. Sly smiled softly then continued, "SO you've never had any reason to trust guys before. If I'm the first guy that you've felt strongly towards and I'm the first guy to compliment you and I'm reliable when it comes to escaping and try to show you a little good natured-ness when I turn myself in, maybe this obsession is just special…?"

"Sly Cooper," Carmelita shook her head slowly, glancing down once more. She didn't know what to say. She felt as lost as she did several nights ago, during her first nightmare when this all began. She knew she didn't know what to say to him. She felt confused and wanted to tell him how she felt but couldn't bring the words out.

Sly reached a paw beneath her muzzle and lifted her chin so that their gaze was met and locked with one another. He then leaned forward, tilting his head just slightly, but she was quick to pull back. She noted the raccoon's lower lip trembling. He couldn't admit that it was quivering in excitement, where she was filled with fear and nervous trepidation. She didn't want to let her guard down with him right here in front of her. It was, however, difficult to fight these all-consuming feelings.

Carmelita could feel the soft whiskers that fluttered against the side of her muzzle. His maw was just centimeters from her own and her body was shaking. Why did she feel this way? Why was her heart racing? Sly reached for her left paw and brought it up to his own chest. Once he pulled her palm against his heart, she could feel that his heart was also pounding, which did her in, melting her defenses until she was nearly undone.

Sly caught her off guard with this moment by using his other paw, still beneath her jaw, guiding her chin towards him. She gasped softly, holding her breath. Sly leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers in a soft kiss. She'd dreamed of this kiss for days. It had been a year since she'd last kissed him, the night before he disappeared. In a literal sense, this kiss was her dream come true, tonight.

She allowed herself to melt into the kiss just a little, but kept herself from becoming overzealous. His soft, velveteen tiers meshed against her own lips, causing her heart to beat wildly. It felt dirty and taboo. And yet, it felt right. It felt like a real home, as if she knew this moment belonged in her life. Her right paw lifted to cup his muzzle softly, engaged in the blissful kiss.

It lasted for several moments before she regained her insecurities, using them to defensively shield her tender emotions. She as trying to become callous but the ice-queen was melting, fast. She placed her paws against his chest to heave him away but was reminded by how hard his heart was beating, causing her to blush into the kiss. She finally found it within herself to shove him, breaking the kiss.

Their lips however, didn't completely separate. The next thing she knew, her mouth opened, still brushing against his, but instead of deepening the kiss with an addition of feverous passion, something far different happened. Words rushed passed her lips before she even realized she was saying them. The statement was muffled against the side of his mouth but their message was clear. "I… I love you Sly Cooper," She finally admitted, having not been able to find the words during her first dream (A/N: Chapter 1).

"I know," Sly whispered in reply. He leaned his head up and kissed her forehead, standing up. He placed his paw on her shoulder as a gesture for her to stay on the sofa. The raccoon then began to move back towards the window.

"Say it, you rascal," She snapped, sharply.

"I promise that I will, if I make it back, Inspector Fox," he told her, backing up to the window. He took his cane in one paw, reaching behind himself with his other, to open the window then he offered her a wan smile.

Sly bowed to her, backing into the window, crossing a paw horizontally over his waist. He winked then told her, "After this is all over, if I make it back in one piece, maybe we can try things over, again. This time, maybe you can get to know Constable Cooper without the amnesia. Sound good… Partner? Au revoir, mon Ange."

He gave her a charming smile that held as much promise as his kiss, then backed out the window, dropping from sight. It caused Carmelita's heart to nearly leap into her throat. He became so business-like when she demanded for him to reciprocate Love, only for him to call her 'angel' before dropping out through the fourth story window.

Carmelita rushed to the window ledge, gripping the sill tightly, gazing down the side of the building. The Raccoon had a parasail and plummeted into the bed of a pickup truck which raced out from underneath the building, heading down the next road and disappearing from view.

"You… dirty scoundrel!" The vitriolic vixen said, pounding the window frame with her paw. "You had better come back!" She shouted into the night air. A moment but passed and her only reply was the sudden addition of snowfall. Heavy precipitation began almost immediately, as if the Creator overturned a box of glitter.

Fat little snowflakes spilled from the sky and she realized the metaphorical meaning behind its presence. The calm before the storm had just ended and the group was about to find out how difficult it was going to be to metaphorically weather this incoming storm. If they didn't hurry, they would be in for the squall of their lives.

Haste made waste so they all knew they had to be at the top of their game. If one single hitch presented itself into their plan, it could spell doom for all of them. There was only one presence that Carmelita could think of that was capable of such a snag. There was only one hindrance in the whole world that came to mind.

"Wasn't that sweet?" Came a voice from behind the Inspector. Carmelita Fox narrowed her eyes. Apparently the very drawback that came to her mind was in the room with her, right now. Outside the window, the harsh tempest was picking up the pace, rattling the rest of the windows in the apartment complex with a harsh gale.

"I wonder if anyone would miss you if I killed you," Carmelita grumbled softly.

"Sweetheart, I'm immortal. You can't kill the everlasting," Karla replied with a playful tone that was as tacky-sweet as maple syrup.

"Strange; Donovan Loupe said the same thing… right before I killed him," Carmelita snapped with a smug grin. "Or did you forget about that? There is no room for you in a jail that's meant for mortal criminals but don't take my threats to heart, dear."

Karla Chintzy, returning to the first topic, continued, "What a kisser that man is, non?"

Carmelita turned about, quickly, and put all of her weight behind her right paw. The fist careened into the half-breed's jaw without warning. Karla was struck so hard that the clap of sound was a resounding slap, sounding like a light bulb popping against cement. The Felox was forcibly flipped over the armrest of the sofa, coming to rest motionlessly draped over the dusty sofa.

Inspector Fox raised her right paw, shaking off the sting, before narrowing her eyes. Those soft amber orbs zeroed in on one broken claw. The others, still intact, were of a red lacquered color, beginning to chip but only one was now broken. She turned back to the unconscious Karla Chintzy and smirked.

Carmelita reached her left paw up to her mouth, reaching her fingertips in, between her lips, pulling out a wad of chewing gum. She then approached Karla and put it in the half-breed's hair, walking into the next room to grab the two duffle bags belonging to Bentley. The vixen came back out, passing through the living room, casting one last glance at Karla's silent form.

Carmelita paused, glancing down at the broken nail on her right paw. She narrowed her eyes. It took forever to grow nails that long and it was a real pain to keep them manicured, to look professional. Inspector Fox's eyes roamed back to the unconscious woman, draped unceremoniously across the sofa with a wad of gum in her hair. "That's what you get, bitch," Carmelita muttered before shutting the apartment door behind herself.

The Gang had split up once they were inside the bank. Sly, now on his own, was known to slink down the hallways of such a building but his posture portrayed his injuries. The slick raccoon kept his composure, moving through the dimly illuminated hallways. His ears perked up, hearing two voices, and he quickly slipped into the darkness of an intersecting corridor.

Steven, the skunk behind Clockwerk's construction, was walking down the hall with Sire, who did not have his powers engaged at the moment. Suddenly, something tight wrapped around Cooper's neck. Sly blinked in surprised, reaching up to grasp at whatever it was, but his fingers sank into the shady tendril, simultaneous to his body being lifted.

His eyes widened and he was carried out from his hiding place, floating towards Steven and The Sire. He struggled in the grip of the shadow arm that had him by the throat. The recently-sewn gash in his upper back was screaming in the pain that was caused by being carried from the décolletage.

From out of the shadows, Donovan Loupe stepped, looking well minus a bit of dried blood on his forehead where he'd been shot earlier. "Did you really think that I was dead, Mister Cooper? Come now, did any of you think that a true immortal could be killed? Greetings my liege," He said, turning his attention to Sire.

Steven narrowed his eyes, glancing away for a moment. "Donovan, you live? My word, this certainly changes everything doesn't it?" He said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"I …thought… Carmelita killed you?" Sly choked out, struggling in the grip of the shadow tentacle that had him by the collar.

"A bullet to the head? I told her and I'll tell you, halfwit Raccoon, I'm immortal," Donovan said. "I required some time to heal but I assure you, I am not dead or beaten. Your Honor, shall I throw this one back into his cage?" Loupe chuckled softly.

"By all means, lock him away. He'll be an excellent lure to bring the others out of the woodwork, one by one," Sire said, speaking of the Cooper Gang, "Then we can exterminate them… with extreme prejudice."

"As you wish, my lord," Donovan said, turning to Sly Cooper and wiggling a finger, playfully. It caused the appendage of shady abyss to push Sly's body down the hallway, still holding him up by the neck. "My apologies if I've startled you, gentleman. It's hard to think with a bullet in your skull. It took a short while to heal such an injury. I'll go and tend to our guest, now."

"Very good," Sire said, obviously pleased. "I now have Reaper on the scene as well, searching the streets of Prague to make certain of our safety. He's going to guarantee that Steven has enough time to finish the construction of Clockwerk, before Cooper's gang has enough time to pull any stunts."

"Very good, Sire," Donovan said, leaving the hallway. Once the skunk and lion were alone again, Steven turned back to Sire and offered an awkward sort of smile.

"I told you it was premature to call Reaper. We have everything well under control; there was no need to bring Nathaniel into all of this. At any rate, perhaps now would not be the best time to take you in to see Clockwerk's progress. Our time tables have changed now that there are an unexpected number of players on the field."

"How do you mean, Steven?" Sire folded his arms, casting a sideways glance at his old friend.

"Let's just say," Steven paused before smiling a bit. He then continued the lie, adding, "With the extra security now in the picture, I can sit down and take my time doing this right, without rushing, Sire. Now that I'm not under such a stressful time table, I can loosen up and not rush; haste makes waste, my friend. I'll bring you in when there's real progress worth reporting. For now, go and catch up with Donovan and see if he's all right or if he needs anything."

Sire nodded slowly. Steven shook the effeminate lion's paw then headed back to the vault laboratory. The skunk slipped in through the door, glaring up at Clockwerk. "New plans, Donovan's not quite as dead as we had all thought. With three power players in the area, all on Sire's side, we have to be delicate about this. Karla, Reaper and Donovan are trouble, individually. Yet combined, they have the power to stop us from finishing your repairs, if I were to kill Sire now.

"So, thy plans must change. Thou hast seen the power of each; their individual abilities far exceed most. Together, however, thou must show reverence, respect and carefully monitor thy chronometer. The conclusion of such a wait draws nigh. For now, patience must be harnessed from within."

Steven's archaic speech tumbled forth from his mouth, abandoning his modern method of speaking, now that the scientist was alone with his creation. "I shall use Donovan to ensure the death of Inspector Carmelita Fox, then we can manipulate Reaper to do his job against the rest of this silly rag-tag group. Finally, we'll pit Donovan and Nathaniel, the Reaper, against one another by turning one against the other.

"Finally, I'll dispose of Karla Chintzy by luring her here with a lie about this stupid Diamond they're all searching for. We'll get the drop on her, detain her before she can teleport, then we'll crush and dismember her body, before she can escape." Now Steven's voice wavered back into a modern syntax method, skirting between his ancient side and his modern vocabulary technique.

Clockwerk was quick to notice but didn't say a word. The genius was hyperkinetic and didn't need sleep, but with the added stress on his shoulders, even the emotionless Clockwerk could tell that the man was frustrated from duress.

"On the verge of civil war; Donovan needs must stay dead. A thorn in mine side, he is," The skunk grumbled to himself, working two components together. It was his one personal flaw; when he became flustered due to something not going according to his plans, he became irritable and frustrated. This time was no exception. With this great mind came a great flair for the dramatic, at times. It was incredibly easy to exasperate the inventor.

Inspector Carmelita Fox hustled down the wind-swept, snow-shrouded road. Her foot prints were covered almost immediately after leaving them, due to the heavy snowfall that layered the streets of Prague. Criss-crossed over her shoulders, across her chest, she had both of Bentley's duffle bags full of gear.

Having done an inventory before leaving the abandoned complex, she knew she had everything she would ever need, including her shock pistol. Two high-power Glock .50 caliber handguns were now strapped to holsters, beneath her arms. Two Beretta 9mm pistols were strapped to her hips, a police-issue Spaz12 shotgun was strapped across her back.

In the duffle bags, she had smoke bombs, a fragmentation grenade, a magnesium flash grenade, rope and a hook-shot similar to the one Sly used on his last job. Finally, there were some incendiary devices, from White Phosphorous hand grenades to Dragon's Breath shotgun rounds. She wasn't sure why she was chasing after the gang; something told her if she wasn't there to run the show, Sly would die like in her nightmares. In those nightmares, she did nothing but watch when he was killed. She couldn't sit on the sidelines tonight, she had to try.

She approached the bank, ignoring the sharp bite of the cold nipping at her flesh and fur. Coming into the alley alongside the bank, she skidded to a halt in her tracks, seeing the dark outline of a shady character she thought she would have never seen again. "…You," The vixen clinched her paws into fists for a moment, before reaching for her shock pistol.

"I told you: I'm immortal. Didn't Sly Cooper tell you to stay put in your silly safe house?" Donovan Loupe's form solidified from the patch of shade and his arms folded across his chest. "A shock gun? Really now, little one. Be not imprudent. Based on the intrinsic known, even your most visceral combat cannot defeat me; but I need to know: Why bring a toy gun to an adult showdown?"

"So you were hiding at our safe house, spying, eh?" The Vixen grumbled. "Enough with the big vocabulary; you don't impress me. Shut up and fight if you want to show me something," Carmelita told him. She aimed the shock gun forward at arm's length. The narrow-eyed wolf simply grinned.

"Please, shoot me, I'm dying to see what your silly little shock toy will do. Make it sting, Inspector," Donovan chided her. His arms were still folded and he stood tall, waiting for her to pull the trigger.

Faster than he could blink, Carmelita employed her free paw to pull out one of the high-powered Glock pistols, firing off a round, right through his heart. The bullet ripped through his chest, passing through the other side and disappearing into a metal dumpster further down the alley. Carmelita grinned, "Did that sting?"

The wolf lowered his head, looking at the bullet wound in his chest. It hurt like hell. "Yes, it stung," He growled softly, lifting his eyes in time to see her pull the trigger again. His body turned partially transparent, going into a tenebrous form, so that the next round passed through his head and hit the dumpster, half way down the alley.

As soon as his body became solid again, she shot him with the shock pistol, causing his muscles to contract hard. She ran forward, pushing the Glock back into its holster, then leapt into the air, kicking him in the side of his head, while he was still under the body-numbing sensation of her shock pistol rounds.

The shadowy figure lurched towards the wall, slamming into the bricks. His motor skills returned to his lithe, yet muscular form but Carmelita offered no chance for him to return to combat; she wanted to keep him completely dazed. She twirled about, gaining momentum before unleashing a devastating pistol whip maneuver across the side of his head. A trickle of scarlet turned into a river, running down the side of his face.

Donovan's eyes narrowed and he kicked his leg out, catching her in the gut. She was thrown backwards, landing unceremoniously upon her tail in the snow. "It's on, now, freak!" She bellowed, coming to her feet. In her wake, there was an impression in the snow of her backside and the two duffle bags that were across her shoulders.

She took the gear bags off, sitting them nearby then gave a sharp tug at her jacket to get the loose snow off of her shoulders. She then cracked her knuckles, narrowing her eyes. "You're in my way of trying to destroy Clockwerk, ready to tangle?"

Donovan paused, tilting his head. "You're not here with the thieves to steal Clockwerk's parts and rebuild him yourself?"

Carmelita balled her paws into fists and shouted, "I'm here to steal Clockwerk's parts and melt them down to make a set of fancy shoe-horns, now get up and let's do this, already!"

"You're in league with Karla Chintzy," Donovan claimed in an accusing tone. "I know you're here with your little brainy dweebs to take Clockwerk into your own paws."

"Shut up and fight, we can talk about this later," Carmelita exclaimed, boiling with rage. "And as far as your little girlfriend, I knocked her tail all the way into tomorrow; now let's tango."

"If that is your desire, allow me to placate!" Donovan roared, throwing his arms forward. Two tendrils of shadow raced forth from the abyss and Carmelita smirked with confidence. She was ready for him this time. She knew exactly what would fight against shadows and she was prepared.

Carmelita shoved the shock pistol into her jacket and dove forward. She tumbled through the snow and when she came up from the roll, she was on one knee, having taken the shotgun out of her back holster, aiming it directly at Donovan. He recalled the shadows by closing his paws into fists and faded into one, himself, so that bullets would be able to pass through him.

"Bullets might go through you," Miss Fox said, leveling the Spaz12 shotgun at the shadow patch, propped up on one knee, "But I dare you to dodge this," She glowered, squeezing the trigger. The incendiary shotgun rounds screamed forth, spewing white phosphorous flames that reached 1,763F (962 Celsius) degrees, hot enough to melt silver. It scorched the brick wall and ripped through the tar-like patch of shadow, causing a shrill scream to be heard.

Anticipating Donovan to be injured and shift back into a solid form, she brought the butt of the shotgun around as hard as she could. The timing of her swing was perfect, connecting with Donovan Loupe's head just as it solidified, taking the full brunt of her melee attack. It knocked him to the ground, causing him to gasp and wheeze.

"I saw you DEAD in that field in my dreams, now go back there and STAY PUT!" Carmelita shouted, kicking him in the throat, putting the smoking shotgun barrel against his head. The end of the barrel was half melted shut from the heat of the incendiary shells. The metal sizzled against the side of his head, causing a subtle hissing noise.

"I thought your nightmares were about Clockwerk," He grumbled with a ragged voice. His torso was horribly burnt and the flesh and fur below his shoulders was gnarled and temporarily disfigured. The bullet hole in his chest over his heart was cauterized shut from the heat.

"I don't KNOW how to explain my dreams, dammit!" Carmelita snapped, pushing the hot shotgun barrel against his head harder. It singed the fur on the side of his face. "Now, when I roast your head off your shoulders, we'll see just how immortal you really are," She snickered.

Another voice joined the party. "The longer you talk to him, the more likely he's going to live," Karla said, from further back in the alley. Carmelita rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath. Chintzy continued, "Just do it, Inspector, end his life; hurry!"

"Shut up or you're next," Carmelita snapped, glancing over her shoulder for a quick moment before returning her gaze back to the fallen form of the shadow wolf.

"I shall provide you with one reason as to why Karla Chintzy is your foe," Donovan said, his tone only slightly louder than a whisper. Before Carmelita could make a decision, he pointed at Karla with one clawed finger, wiggling that furry digit at the Felox.

Carmelita glanced over her shoulder. A shadow tentacle came out from under Karla's body, lifting a small pendant from Karla's pocket. Carmelita squinted then gasped, recognizing the necklace. It was the Pendant of Iron Will that Sly had stolen from The Sire. Without it, he was practically defenseless against the Bishonen Lion.

Karla snatched the pendant from the shadowy appendage, stuffing it back into her pocket. "That's mine, Loupe. Kill him, Carmelita! Pull the trigger. Do it now!"

Carmelita's eyes went wide. "You teleported that pendant off of him so he would be defenseless, you backstabbing, conniving tramp!"

"Pull the trigger, then we'll talk; do it Inspector. Now!" Karla shouted.

"Your team has depended on this troglodyte and she was manipulating you the entire time?" Donovan asked, shaking his head and offering a sigh. He cleared his throat, trying his best to sit up but his body was nearly devastated. Karla approached the two of them, holding her paws out for the shotgun. Donovan coughed, glaring up at the pink-furred half-breed. "Don't give it to her, Inspector."

"Donovan and Reaper put Monsieur Cooper in great danger," Karla said, holding her paws out. "Now give me the shotgun or pull the trigger, yourself."

"I'm an Inspector. I ask questions first. That's what detectives do: They detect things, now back off," Carmelita said calmly, turning back to the injured wolf. "What's your story, creampuff?"

"I'm an agent," Donovan started, pausing to cough, "Who was sent in to infiltrate Sire's régime. Once he trusted me enough not to employ his psychological aura, I planned to attack him in the dark, with my shadows, and once Steven was defenseless, I would stop him from finishing Clockwerk. Then I was ordered to banish Clockwerk into a shadow tomb, part by part, all over the world. But I stepped back to watch when I learned that Steven's plans were to kill Sire himself."

"Bull," Karla snapped. "If anything, you wanted to betray Sire to help Steven finish Clockwerk and run the show, yourself. Convince us otherwise," She snapped.

Donovan closed his eyes and sighed. "Miss Chintzy, you only want this diamond so that you can use it as power and leverage over other immortals. You would use it to have Sly Cooper impregnate you, then you would get rid of him. You want Sire and Steven dead, so that you can run the show. All you want, Miss Chintzy, is for an attractive man to have your way with, then move on like the leech you are. I am everywhere at once. Wherever shadows are cast from a desk lamp, I am there."

"Don't believe him, Carmelita. You and I don't see eye to eye but we're on the same side. Kill this slime ball or I'll do it for you," Karla snapped, keeping her paw extended.

Carmelita turned back to Donovan, ignoring Chintzy with an eye-roll of dismissal. "Why blow your cover to me now, if you've gone through such great lengths to keep it up until this point?"

"Because one of two things are about to happen," Donovan growled softly, "You and I are going to die to that wench or she's going to die and I'm going to go back to guarding the bank. What's it going to be?"

"And if I kill you both?" Carmelita snorted.

Both Donovan and Karla replied in unison, saying, "Impossible," with Donovan adding, "There is no way you are quick enough to kill me then have enough time to fight her. In the time it takes to kill me, she'll have reacted by snapping your neck from behind. If you kill her first, then turn the gun on me, you have a better chance but by then I'll have prepared myself for self-defense."

"And if I activate a bomb in my duffle bags and kill all three of us?" Carmelita bluffed.

Donovan smirked. "Then you've killed your chances of saving Sly Cooper and his friends from the new Clockwerk. We all die and Clockwerk betrays Steven, leaving everyone dead except for the metal monster, itself. Is that what you wish?" He said, calling her bluff without so much as batting an eye lash.

"And if I leave you two to battle it out and just walk away?" Carmelita asked, keeping herself calm, cool and collected, having recognized this situation as a delicate one.

"Then I do this," Karla said, teleporting the shotgun into her paws and pumping the slide on the bottom, cocking the weapon and pointing it at both Carmelita and Donovan. "It's a pretty hot weapon that you have here, Inspector. You could really roast your enemies with something like this."

"Very witty, Miss Chintzy," Donovan muttered sarcastically.

Carmelita's eyes squinted, scrutinizing the half-breed Feline / Fox mixture. The gum was still in the woman's hair, which the Inspector noticed was causing her headfur to stand straight up. "You look ridiculous. Are you sure you want to go and do that?"

Chintzy smirked, telling the other two, "I'm sure that I'm sure, Inspector Fox. After I kill you both, I'll use this pendant of iron will to force Sly to submit to me. I'll get the diamond and be the first supernatural to bare children and with the power to grant and bestow such things to the supernatural race, I'll have incredible sway over them all."

"Power hungry fool," Donovan groused at the half breed that held the shotgun.

"Then why haven't you pulled the trigger already, dumb ass? Now I'm going to call your bluff," Carmelita said with a grin.

"Call this," Karla snapped, squeezing the trigger in on the shotgun. The White Phosphorous round was sparked to life inside the shotgun chamber, but because the barrel had been melted from the last blast, it caused the gun to backfire. Screaming hot flames burst from the back of the weapon, causing the chamber to combust. It ruptured in a massive ball of flame, engulfing Karla Chintzy.

The oxygen consuming flames took the breath away from the Felox, so that she couldn't even scream. The intense heat pushed breath from her lungs, causing a low moan to emanate from deep in her chest which was almost immediately stifled by the explosion. The weapon's lethal backfire destroyed the immoral immortal, ripping her into pieces. Karla Chintzy was no more.

Carmelita shook her head slowly turning back to Donovan and offering her right paw. "Get up. You know, I asked if she was sure she wanted to do that, but I guess she didn't realize that the muzzle collapsed after one incendiary round."

"You knew this all along?" Donovan inquired, taking the vixen's offered paw.

"Of course I did. I'm a cop, they train me to use weapons. Don't be stupid. I can't be much of an Inspector if I don't know something as simple as basic physics. Heat melts metal, plain as can be."

"But how would you have killed me if I wasn't on your side?" Donovan asked, curiously.

"The .50 Cal in my pocket would have separated your head from your shoulders by removing your neck at point blank; I just used the fire as a bluff to make you talk. I had no idea that she would awaken from that punch, earlier. I was really hoping to fight her," The Inspector complained. "If I find out you're lying to me, I'll finish the job and you'll be my sparring substitute. You have no idea how pissed off I am, right now."

"I see that you're a better Inspector than I've given you credit for," Donovan groaned softly, sitting up and pulling himself to his feet, slowly. "You figured this out in a matter of moments, just having us engaged in the same conversation."

"I'm a fourth generation cop. It's in my blood," She said, shoving the wolf up against the wall. She then turned to the remains of Karla Chintzy, which were scattered all over the alley. "Please tell me you got that pendant before she went boom?"

"Hold out your paw, little one," Donovan said. Carmelita did so, lifting her paw out and holding it open, palm up. A tendril of shadow, from above, released the pendant, dropping it directly onto the soft padding of her palm. "I have your word that you're not working with this thief group to steal Clockwerk for your own benefit?"

Carme shook her head and offered a witty retort. "I'm stealing my job back, I'm stealing my man back and I'm arresting whoever is left, that gets in my way."

"And if they resist arrest?" Donovan asked while reaching to rub the salty, metallic tasting blood from off of his lower lip with the back side of his fist.

Carmelita drew her jacket back, showing him that she was armed to the teeth with an assortment of guns. "They won't resist. I don't tolerate that, anymore. Go back to Sire and tell him that Karla Chintzy attacked, with plans to free Sly Cooper. Tell him that you stopped her. Sly still thinks that's part of the plan, so even if Sire uses his powers to demand the truth from Sly, your cover story is perfect."

"What's the catch?" Donovan said, limping away from the wall, heading for the nearest door.

"Two things," Carmelita said. "After Sire verifies your story with Sly, wait until he leaves then give Sly the pendant. If you double cross us, I've got enough explosive toys in those duffle bags to make that Dragon's Breath shotgun look like a cigarette lighter. And I promise you this: you'll get very intimate with them when I shove one up your butt. Now go."

Sly Cooper rubbed his eyes once Donovan left. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was now holding the pendant of Will in his paw. He was alone again, now that Sire and Donovan had both left. It was the weirdest thing. From what he gathered, Karla tried to get him free and Donovan stopped her, but then, before leaving, he gave Sly the necklace.

It was a confusing situation that was for sure. But with Karla rumored to have been "stopped" or, as Sire worded it, "Defeated", he had to wonder how much more work Bentley had ahead of him. Footsteps caused the Raccoon's ears to perk up once more and he went back to his bench, hiding the pendant.

Nathaniel Carrington stepped into the hallway, approaching Sly Cooper's cell. His well polished shoes shined in the recessed lighting. He lifted his left paw and a plasmatic discharge of energy began to emanate in his palm. The energy began to grow in size, shape and mass until he was holding an illuminated scythe.

He tilted his wrist, causing a hook to come to the end of the weapon constructed of light. He then flicked his wrist, cutting through three of the bars in Sly's cell. "Now that you know that I can dice steel like butter, I'm fairly sure I have your attention."

"Let me guess," Sly chuckled, "You're the Reaper."

"Oh, my dear boy," Nathaniel said quietly. "Then the door was open and the wind appeared. The candles blew then disappeared. The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don't be afraid… Don't fear the Reaper. Ever heard of that song?"

"Blue Oyster Cult; what brings you to my neck of the woods?" Sly asked.

"Sire wishes to know where this diamond is and how to open your vault, if that's where it is," Said the Reaper, skillfully using the scythe to carve intricate designs into one of the cell bars. "I'm very good with this weapon. I can carve all sorts of precious inches off of you and your Inspector friend."

"It's a family riddle," Sly said offhandedly, as if he wasn't even giving the assassin his serious attention.

"Are you afraid?" Reaper asked with a smirk.

"Seasons don't fear the Reaper. Nor do the wind the sun or the rain. Why should I?" Sly asked, throwing the same lyrics from the same song back in the man's face. "Weren't we talking about riddles? Did you forget or did you just come down with sudden Attention Deficit?"

"Here's a riddle for you, Sly Cooper. We'll exchange riddles and I'll be on my merry way," Said the killer with a sharp grin. "There's a glass of bloody water on a night stand in a bedroom. The window is open and the police are investigating a murdered man on the bed, who has a stab wound. There's no sign of a bullet in the wound, the weapon used was not a knife. One of the newbie cops goes to shut the window because he's cold. One of the veteran detectives scolds him, telling him not to touch it. How did the man die?"

"Let me guess," Sly said, standing up from his bench with a smirk, "You killed him?"

"I was not involved," Nathaniel said, "You have two guesses left. I'll start removing fingers until you get it right, unless you tell me how to get this diamond."

"Where is the murder weapon?" Sly asked.

"It's in the room," Reaper replied, beginning to twirl the scythe in a threatening manner.

"One of the cops did it?" Sly folded his arms. This stupid riddle was making no sense.

"No, last chance. There's a glass of bloody water on a night stand, Sly Cooper. A man with a stab wound is dead on the bed. One of the younger police officers goes to close the window because he's cold but a veteran detective tells him to leave it alone. How did the murder victim die?"

A voice came from further down the hallway. "The glass of bloody water is the murder weapon. The killer used an icicle from outside to stab the man then left, in a hurry, leaving the window open. The victim pulled the icicle out, in the last moments of his life, leaving it in the glass, knowing that it would melt in his body if he didn't hurry, thus leaving a clue." It was the voice of Carmelita Montoya Fox.

She was loaded down with her gear, minus the Shotgun. Both .50 Caliber Glock's were in her paws, pointed at Reaper's head. She knew that using a shock pistol on a man who could control electricity would be lethal to herself. "If you so much as reach for an itch, I'll turn your head into Swiss cheese and I have enough rounds to make it last."

The older badger turned to face her, narrowing his eyes. "You are correct. However, it does seem that no one has explained to you that which is the concept of immortality."

"No," Carmelita mused, "I figured it out for myself after being told three times that Immortals can't die."

Reaper reached his free paw to his ear, touching a small earpiece with his furry fingertip. "Karla, teleport in here and take care of this unwanted guest, while I interrogate your boy toy, Monsieur Cooper."

"What did I just tell you about moving? And so you know, Karla won't be joining us," Carmelita said, slowly approaching the Reaper. "She and I had a good time together, it was a real blast but I don't see her joining this party any time soon, because she's a little partied out at this point."

"I'm a trained assassin; do you really think you can kill me, let alone disable me?" Reaper chuckled. "Don't you have to cock those pea-shooters before you can fire them?"

"They're Glock's dumb ass," the Inspector told him, firing off one round. Quickly, the badger flipped the energy scythe about, slicing the bullet into two pieces. One half hit the wall, the other ricochet off the cell bars, causing Sly to duck. Carmelita grinned. "Step away from the raccoon. You can't dodge semi-automatic fire, multiplied by 39 more rounds. And I'd love to see you use that little maneuver on a grenade, I have a few of those too."

"If you kill me, you'll never find out where your friends have been hidden, when we captured each one of them," Reaper said, narrowing his eyes and widening his grin. "Really, my dear, I hold all the chips, here."

"I guess you haven't heard the news," Carmelita said with a smirk. "I'm a cop, they're the robbers. We're not on the same team, so you hold nothing. All you're doing is standing in the way of my prize catch. Are you ready to scrap over him?"

"I heard you're not very good at hitting a moving target," The badger chortled, tilting his head in an almost cocky, playful way. Carmelita moved her right paw just a few inches then fired. The noisy pistol caused everyone to wince from the volume. The round struck one of the cell bars, bouncing off of the round pole, which caused it to angle over, clipping the badger's ear, piercing it.

He groaned audibly, wincing again at the pain in his ear. Carmelita tilted her own head, popping the joints in her neck. "It's a good thing you're just standing still, then. Are you ready to do this? I'd arrest you but you guys suspended me, so the power vested in me to bring you into custody has expired. Now it's time to make some changes."

"You're already too late," Reaper sneered. "Clockwerk may not be finished yet, but he's active and awake. None of you stand a chance." He then turned to Sly Cooper, snarling softly. Blood ran down the side of his head, along the side of his neck, from the wound at the tip of his ear. "As for you, we'll be finishing this interrogation soon and I promise, I'll be carving into the both of you until I get the answers I want."

"You've got a hole in your ear," Sly chuckled. "I hear it's the new fashion. It's all the rage back in Paris."

"Hey, I've got one in my ear," Carmelita said, approaching him, keeping the guns trained on Carrington's head. "I couldn't help but extend the fashion to you. Want your other ear to match or would you rather just have a few holes elsewhere in your head?"

"I'm not running away from this fight, like a coward," Nathanial Carrington told them. "I'm leaving to go and verify what you've said, concerning Karla Chintzy. I'll return soon to kill you both." With that, his body began to incandesce, growing brighter and brighter. A flash of light could be seen behind his eyes and emanating from his muzzle and ears. It grew into an unbearably bright flash and then he was gone.

Carmelita approached Sly, standing on the other side of the jail cell bars, which had been cut by the scythe earlier. She shook her head slowly, seeing that he'd been roughed up a little. Her eyes lowered to the diced jail bars, pushing three of them out of place until they fell to the floor with a noisy clang.

She then smirked. "I hate having my bluff called, but wait until he finds out I wasn't fibbing about Karla. You're not upset are you? Let's go find the rest of your friends; we can't stop Clockwerk's completion without them, we have to hurry…. I feel light headed," She added at the end. Sly approached the bars, which had been cut open by Reaper's scythe, earlier.

"I'm not upset about Karla," Sly assured her. He then told her, "I'm glad you're all right."

Slowly, Carmelita reached her paw out to balance herself. "Maybe I just need to eat something, after all the blood I've lost from earlier," She wondered aloud before losing consciousness and collapsing to the floor. The world around her went dark and Sly's worried words and warm breath on her ear was muffled into silence.

A/N: Oh no! What happened to Carmelita! Well, she's overexerted. She's on the verge of emotional and mental collapse because of how stressful this has been on her and she's been running herself hard and it caught up with her. She's out of gas, if you will. She needs to recuperate… and right when they're out of time; what are they to do!

So, did you guys like how I made the good guy evil and the bad guy good? C'mon now, I couldn't kill Donovan with a bullet to the head, he's too badass and he's an immortal! It wouldn't kill a highlander; it would just incapacitate them for a while. But having one's head separated from their shoulders always works and being blown into smithereens worked pretty good for Karla, whose only plan was to seduce Sly, get the information out of him about the Diamond of Fertility then use him to have offspring, then kill him… I guess Carmelita put a hitch in HER plans, huh? Hehe.

Finally, it looks like I wrote another long chapter, full of intrigue and all that fun stuff. I've had migraines all week last week and it's been a huge mess. Now I'm feeling better, that's why I wrote this chapter today, while I was at work. Word2003 says this is 18 pages. I don't know how many pages it would be, printed, but that's a lot to write, in 8 hours, while dealing with Customers every few minutes, lol. It's about 9,000 words, so it's almost double what I normally write for a single chapter. It's the longest chapter of this story, as a matter of fact. But there's a reason!

Why did I write so much? Because I made you guys wait so long that I felt I owed you guys a nice long chapter. Carmelita really kicked some tail in this chapter. I think she's beat more people up in this chapter than she has throughout the whole story, hehe. I was really tickled when she put GUM in Karla's hair… girls can be so mean to each other, sometimes. Hehe. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. They get illogical, irrational and emotional. Then they make life hell if you're on their bad side, lol. Then they go out into the world and kick some serious tail.

In the next chapter, we'll find out what happened to the rest of the Cooper Gang and how they got captured. We'll find out what happened to Carmelita and we'll find out what the story is behind Donovan Loupe and just WHO he works for… but let me ask you all a question: Should Karla Chintzy be dead for good? I'm NOT bringing her back NEXT chapter, but if enough of you want her alive, or a good guy, or whatever it is that you may want for her, I'll probably do that later into the story.

So make sure you include, in your review, if you want Karla alive and what I should have happen to her. Also, should Clockwerk be completed and fight the gang, or should they destroy him before he's finished being built? LET ME KNOW!