Hey everyone,
I really hope you read my bottom AN of the last chapter as there is REALLY IMPORTANT INFO there regarding most of my stories. Either way, this chapter will be about the rest of the day after Sly fell asleep and will have a few more shocks and painful experiences happening to Carmelita and the Cooper Gang now that they're home.
Also, YES, there are mentions of people wanting to rape Carmelita, but I will never go further than that. Mentioning it and items that can be used for it, yes. Actually writing about the act actually taking place, whether it be with a Willing Carmelita or not, HECK TO THE NO! I know it's not allowed, so I won't do it.
Capish? Good,

Venquine1990

Chapter 02

Carmelita's POV

I had already seen Cooper spotting his friends before the Hippo called and had expected for the Raccoon to forget about me when seeing them again and Cooper had proven me right, yet I had been able to catch myself before I could fall and the way that Sly was held by his friends had made the last of my worries abate.
However, the way that Murray and Bentley seem to know exactly what to do and how they easily, almost instinctively, move themselves to the steps, sit down and start their little procedure that actually puts Cooper to sleep worries me as it can only mean that this isn't the first time the two saw their friend in a state like this.
Murray then pulls the blanket off himself and Bentley and wraps Cooper in it as if he were an infant before he asks: "Bentley?" And the turtle nods as he says: "I'll stay here to await the others. Penelope, go with Murray and check Sly's health. He felt really hot to the touch when we held him and I doubt that's out of emotional stress."

The mouse nods and while she moves along with the Hippo, do I say: "Cooper was being kept from his own safe-house, Bentley and that meant he had to stay the night outside last night." The turtle nods and says: "He never did fair well during storms." Making me worry for the Raccoon all the more before Bentley asks:
"So what brings you here, Carmelita? I mean, I saw Interpol cars driving off so why aren't you with them?" But I shake my head, the things that Penelope discovered making me wish I was back in Cooper's arms as his lean form and strong arm muscles had made me feel as if I were well-protected from the world and I say:
"Sly ordered Barkley not to allow me back at Headquarters until all members of Akudo's team have been dealt with, seeing what their actual plans for me were." But when Bentley cocks his head, do I wonder how the female mouse knows what this brainiac turtle doesn't and I can't help but ask: "You didn't know?"

The turtle shakes his head before he suddenly gets some kind of message from his ear and presses it as he says: "It's safe, Dimitri. Sly ordered her to stay with us until the situation with Akudo was dealt with." And with that does a Marine Iguana with a suit that could fit well into the 80's walk around the corner a few blocks to the left.
With him are a small purplish koala with large walking cane and long beard and an intimidating Panda with two cans attached to his back that are obviously meant to be holding his fireworks and the koala speaks in his native tongue as he asks: "What exactly is the situation with her who we watched over while she slept?"
And while I can easily remember the pictures Cooper and his friends took with my photo camera, does this memory not make me feel any better or suppress the emotions caused by Penelope's news as Bentley shakes his head and says: "I don't know. All I know is that Sly won and that Akudo's men are now fleeing for their freedom."

This in itself actually makes me feel worse and I shiver as I ask: "Bentley, can I go in? I'd rather not be out in the open until those bastards have been caught." The turtle looks at me, his shock that I am actually scared causing for the concern in his eyes to grow and while he lies a hand on my back, does he wheel me indoors.
The first room I enter is one with broken down furniture and some walls showing peeled off paint while the floor itself is perfectly spotless and the ceiling actually shows off several very beautiful paintings of foxes, weasels, martyrs and raccoons either fighting each other or sharing fruits and other things with each other.
This mix of broken and fixed makes me feel a little baffled and while Bentley moves forward, does he say: "We mix old with new to give people the sense that they are wondering if someone really lives here and at the same time, if they know we live here, that they believe this to be the reason behind our chosen profession."

I nod and then Bentley brings out one of his robotic arms and slams it down on the floor, allowing for a small set of floorboards to be pushed up and fall back, revealing a circular stone staircase that seems to lead a very long way down and while Bentley activates the boosters on his wheelchair do I slowly walk down the staircase.
Only then do I notice how the other members of the Cooper Gang are following the both of us, Dimitri closing the panel on the floor behind him and Guru using the moonstone on his walking stick to light the way after this, while the light of the stone also illuminates that it's not just Bentley who has become worried due to my fear.
Feeling touched that I am cared for by these two people – while one of them is a highly dangerous criminal with a ridiculously large record – do I still wish that Sly was here and I ask: "Bentley, how did you and Murray know how to treat Sly so well when he rushed at you guys? Did – did something like this – happen before?"

But while Bentley sighs and shakes his head, does he then say: "No, but this certainly isn't the first time where Sly faces something his emotional strength just can't handle. After all, let's face one clear fact, Carmelita. While Sly may prove an unbeatable force of nature, he stays a traumatized raccoon in his early twenties."
At this I nod and Bentley says: "So while this hasn't happened before – at least not like it happened now – have there definitely been moments where Sly faced a foe he wished he didn't and where – after the fight – his actual emotions caught up with him. Sly's the kind of guy that sometimes puts his ideals before his emotions, you know."
And while I nod, do I feel my concerns for the Raccoon – which had started to grow when I saw him appear next to me on the roof – grow more than ever before and without really knowing why I do this, do I ask: "Is there – is there anything I can do? You know, to make him feel better? He really came through for me as well, you know?"
The turtle seems contemplative of this as we reach what appears to be the living room and while he rolls himself over to a large purple couch where Panda King and Guru take place and where Guru motions me to do so as well, does Bentley seem to have thought of something as his face starts lighting up while he says:

"You know what, Carmelita. I think there might be something you can do. I really – really – think there might be." This makes relief almost overpower the fear that is in my heart and then Guru asks: "Why does fear cloud a heart that is so full of love?" Shocking me and making everyone look at me in renewed worry.
Then Penelope and Murray enter the room, both of them looking slightly grim with Penelope looking it just a little bit more than Murray and the mouse says: "It's because of Akudo." Everyone turns to her and she takes a deep breath before she says: "I don't know why, but it seems as if I was the only one of us they underestimated.
Right the first day that I woke up in my cell, did I manage to get them convinced to give me a little toy-car and when I saw Sly crawling through the airvent above my cell, did I feel confident that I would reunite with my leader and later my team. However, when two days had passed, did I decide to search Sly out myself."

Everyone nods and the mouse continues, now seated at a dark reddish chair that actually almost looks purple as she says: "However, in the days between me arriving there and me escaping, which was yesterday, did I get the chance to fully hear all those out that were ordered to keep me sedated and they believed I was because of the car."
At this the mouse rolls her eyes before she takes a deep breath and says: "I heard why Sly didn't try to get us loose the minute he realized we were captured, why he seemed so upset with his own work – and I did see that when I saw him – and why there wasn't even a sign of Carmelita attempting to capture him during the week.
Akudo had Sly completely against the wall with his back through several threats and trust me, they were all as bad the one before them. The threat against releasing us was that we would be Hate-Chipped and ordered to kill Sly." This makes Murray release a small terrified scream and Penelope nods empathically before she says:
"The threat against Sly doing anything that came natural to him? Akudo stole his cane and send it off to the Krack-Karov Volcano. If it hadn't been for Carmelita, it would have been burned to shreds this very day because Barkley and I believed it the one thing Sly would be most willing to sacrifice out of all three threats.

And I say three, because Carmelita's – is the downright worst." The girl ends with tremors sounding through her voice and while I have now taken place alongside the Guru and Panda King, do I really wish to be back in Cooper's arms as I just can't stand hearing this a second time without him before I ask: "Can I be excused?"
Penelope nods and says: "Sly's room is the first one on the right up the staircase on your left." I nod, feeling glad that the mouse understands for my need to be with the Raccoon and before anyone can ask why Penelope told me that, do I rush out, not even caring if I worry the others more with how badly I don't want to hear this.
I rush through the doorway in the right wall of the living room and instantly turn left, dashing up the staircase and into the first door on my left, where the sight in front of me makes me halt in my tracks quite suddenly. No hat, no mask, no gloves and still Sly Cooper looks dashing and very handsome – while fast asleep.

The Raccoon has one hand lying on the pillow besides his face and is using the other to – while sleeping – keep the blanket pulled over his shoulder and while he no longer has the black mask on, is the fur around his eyes an almost perfect match of color between his own grey and the black satin that his mask is made of.
The stripes that are on his nose are even accentuated thanks to the color of the fur around his eyes and while I wonder why Cooper never shows this incredible hue to the world, do I then let my eyes wander through the room, part of me feeling quite impressed by the tidiness and the structure that I see shown around the room.
The floor itself is made of hardcover wood, yet there is a large circular rug that is mostly covered by the four-poster prince-sized bed upon which the Raccoon is sleeping. There is a balcony showing behind the bed and besides this a rack is build into the wall from which Sly's cane is dangling along with his hat and his mask.
The wall next to that is covered with several pictures, some of them depicting Sly, others his friends and some even depicting me, which makes me send a raised eyebrow at the few that I actually recognize. Next to that is the corner leading to the right wall and this one has a desk with drawers above and below set in the corner.
Besides the desk there is a large two-door wardrobe with several drawers underneath the two doors and finally does the whole interior end with a large pedestal that seems to be heavily protected with some kind of force field made of lasers and upon which an ancient tome with golden and blue writing is showcased.

The book, for some reason, rings a faint bell in the back of my mind and I can't help but whisper: "The whole book Cooper went after the Fiendish Five for. What's so important about that thing anyway?" And while making sure not to make another sound, do I sneak over to where the lasers keep me from taking the book.
I look at the ancient tome, the fact that it looks in pristine condition while also showing signs of having been torn and having aged for a few centuries intriguing me before I read the title written half in gold and half in blue. "The Thievius Raccoonus. Definitely sounds like something Cooper would be interested in."
I then send a playful smirk at the sleeping Raccoon, noticing how he has actually moved and is now lying on his back with his muzzle wide open and one arm strewn above his head, the sight itself so unlike the ever agile and smooth-moving thief that I used to chase that I can't help the soft giggle that escapes my throat.

Sly, however, grunts at hearing my giggle and I stop quickly, remembering how downtrodden Murray and Penelope looked and knowing it must be because Cooper is definitely sick and I take another look around the room before suddenly noticing how there aren't any new cloths set out for Cooper and I can't help but think:
"Cooper's been living in the same outfit for over a week. Surely he'll need to put on a new shirt when he wakes." And I decide quickly to take matters into my own hands, moving silently across the room to where the wardrobe is located and pulling open the double doors, only to gasp in utter shock at what I see here.

Where I was expecting shirts, some turtlenecks and other outfits I sometimes saw Cooper wear when disguised, does the left side the wardrobe actually have a whole rack filled with dresses of all kinds of materials and colors, yet all of them the same size and it takes me only a few more seconds of gazing before I realize:
"They're my size. Why are there dresses of my size in Cooper's wardrobe? And why have I never seen these cloths when they're supposedly meant for me?" At this I take another closer look at the whole wardrobe before suddenly Bentley asks: "Carmelita?" Making Sly grunt and making me whirl around to face him.
The turtle looks at me with the same cocked head as before, while his eyes don't show his curiosity, only the pain he feels over what Penelope told him and he asks: "What's wrong?" And while I send a worried glance Sly's way, who just grunts again and lies himself to face the balcony before starting to snore, do I ask:

"Bentley, why are there dresses in Sly Cooper's wardrobe?" The green turtle looks shocked and asks: "Why are there what?" And I whisper as I continue: "Dresses. A whole set of them. And they all appear to be my size. What's with that, Bentley? Why does Cooper have dresses in his wardrobe that are meant for me?"
The turtle rolls over to join me at the wardrobe and takes a close look inside, adjusting his glasses before he suddenly shocks me as he asks: "Why are these here and not in the special room?" This makes me send him a raised eyebrow and I ask: "Special room?" Making Bentley cringe and turn quite a nice shade of red.
"Follow me." He then whispers and rolls back out of the bedroom, me sending the dresses one last appreciative look, as they do look quite nice, before following the turtle and when we have closed Sly's door behind me, does Bentley motion me to follow him with his head and does he lead me further down the hall.

We stop at a door that is on the left of the hallway and three doors down from where Cooper sleeps and Bentley releases another deep breath before he says: "Carmelita, you've always noticed that Sly treats you with a certain kindness and respect that he doesn't easily show others, right?" I nod, feeling slightly touched and he says:
"That's because, like me and Murray, you made an instant connection with Sly's heart the minute you guys first met. The same happened with me and Murray when Sly first met us after he got told that we all had to share a room at the orphanage from then on and that – for someone like Sly – is a very important thing."
This, while I feel slightly overwhelmed at the idea that I share the same kind of connection with Cooper as the one he shares with people he has known for 15 years, makes me smile at the turtle and he smiles back before he says: "Carmelita, if there is one thing that makes Sly special, it's how far he is willing to go for those he cares for."
He then takes a deep breath and says: "And for you, Sly went all out, even while he knew just fine that your professional differences would always keep you apart. Sly dreamed and from his dreams – well, he made this." And with that does he use one of his mechanical arms to open the door we are standing at, allowing me entrance.

I walk in and gasp at the sight around me. Soft beige painted walls that have a white ornamental line at both the top and bottom. A beautiful ceiling depicting all kinds of beautiful foxes and raccoons in ancient Greek outfits. Dark purple curtains covering four gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows that have a bow at the top.
A queen-sized bed that is made of alabaster wood and that has soft beige and broken white covers, curtains, bedspreads, pillows and comforters. Two wardrobes that are identical to Cooper's but then of the same alabaster white wood as the four posters of the bed, a door leading off a new room and that is made of a slightly darker wood.
Another four-drawer filled wardrobe actually standing between the two wardrobes against the left wall and finally a large dresser with ornamental mirror at the top and with several pull out drawers on both sides of the mirror. And finally the floor being made of a dark broken white rug that makes me want to touch it with only my bare feet.

The room I am in looks absolutely as if it came out of some kind of movie depicting a Greek Goddess and while I can barely believe my eyes, do I breathlessly whisper: "Co-Cooper made – made all this?" Bentley nods and says: "Sowed the curtains, the bedspreads, the pillowcases, the comforters and several other things himself.
Painted the walls with his own tail and brushes. Had Murray help him hang up the curtains and almost emptied half his entire cove to buy all the equipment and the furniture you see in this room. And when I saw almost half, I mean it, Carmelita. We needed to pull seventeen heists within a month to get back on track after he bought all this."
This shocks me enough I stumble and seat myself on the dresser chair and I ask: "This – all – all of this is – is bought?" Then suddenly, due to my new position, do I notice something lying on the floor besides the queen-sized bed and I feel confused and conflicted as I ask: "Even that chain with neck-cuff over there?"

Bentley again looks as confused as he did when I asked him about the dresses and he moves over to where I am pointing at, me glad that he closed the door behind him as he suddenly shouts: "WHAT IN COOPER'S NAME IS THAT DOING THERE!" Making me instantly know that it wasn't something Cooper bought.
Bentley then points one of his guns at it and actually causes for a mini-bomb to go off, causing for a small tremor to go through the floor as the chain gets bolted off of the floor, the bolts that kept it to the floor shooting in several directions and one of them hitting the bed, causing for the comforter to fall back to the foot of the bed.
However, this again makes me see something that disturbs me, yet when I take another look at it and how unusual it looks in connection with everything else, does the info Penelope provided me with earlier come back to me and I gasp, feeling fear and disgust rage through me before I rush straight back out of this room.

I run for Sly's and while part of me wants to just dash to his balcony and leap to wherever I can to escape this place, do I instead listen to the part of me that has been wanting to be back in Cooper's arms since he was covered up by the blanket and brought to bed and do I jump into the bed itself, cuddling with Cooper's back.
The Raccoon seems slightly unsettled by this as he grunts and grumbles, yet doesn't wake and while his body does feel much warmer to the touch than usual, do I push myself closer to this heat, wanting to feel it as it feels almost comforting and using it, alongside Cooper's presence and heartbeat, to lull myself into a fitful sleep.

Okay, that's it!
So, a little more about the plans made up by Akudo and his gang have been revealed and Carmelita gets a little bit of a firmer grip on the reality of what would have awaited her had Penelope not taken the actions she did, summoning Interpol and taking care of Akudo before he could try anything worse.
Now as to what the item on the bed was, it was a rope. One with a loop at the end that was supposed to restrain someone's hand. I will be bringing this into a little more detail next chapter, but for now did I feel this to be a good place to end the story as the two chapters together already make for thirteen pages on Word.
That's enough for me,

Venquine1990