Right-O! So, Good news here at the top, bad news stuff at the bottom. Good news? Its a fellow authors birthday today, but not just any author, he's one of the ones that inspired me to start writing Sly Cooper Fiction, so if it wasn't for him, this story wouldn't exist.

You wanna know how you can thank him? Simple, hes trying to get a real book published, head over to his author page here at FF net, his pen name is Kit-Karamak. He has a link to a facebook page there, once there, click the like button and share his page. Help him get the attention he deserves.

There is also another reason for doing this, he has written what is arguably one of the best Sly Cooper stories on this site, I call it the Dawn of Progeny series, and although he finished the set of stories he was working on, he ended it with one of those cliffhangers that while wrapping everything up, also just left you wanting more. So, I figure, if we get him enough likes and he gets published he can get back to fan fiction and write a sequel! You see, we all benefit! By the way, it you haven't read his Sly Cooper stories or his original work, you are missing out, you should go do that right after you read the chapter.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to Kit, this chapter update is dedicated to him.

Edit 6-11-13 Below

/-/ Sly Cooper: Betrayal of the Heart /-/ Chapter 3: How Could You? /-/

I closed the door with my foot as I walked into my apartment and glanced around once before sighing and dropping the files in my hand on the side table next to the entrance. I opened the folder and flipped through the files before selecting one and placing it against the pin board above the table. I reached for one of the pins and pushed it through the mugshot picture.

I grinned and spoke to myself. "You put up a nice chase Ra. But the bank tonight was your last." I took a red marker and put a big crimson x across the photo. I smiled and ran my eyes over the board, pausing on each picture with an x. Eventually my eyes reached the final one and my frown slipped for a moment as I reached out and ran a finger across the picture.

"You know, I still don't like my picture being on your criminal board."

I glanced over my shoulder at the raccoon who was leaning around the corner to the hallway. "Constable Cooper. You will stay on that board until I forgive you."

Sly grinned at me as he walked around the corner and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "It would help if I knew what I had done wrong." Sly pulled me gently away the board and sat me down on the couch, his hands drifting from my arms to my shoulders where he started gently rubbing his fingers into my shoulder. "You could at least tell me where that outfit I'm wearing is, it looks snazzy." I felt my tension start to drain out with his words and a small churing sound escaped my throat as I fought the urge to just melt into the couch and his nimble fingers. I managed to form a response as the stress of the day left me. "Not on your life Cooper."

I let him continue for a few minutes before I shrugged him off, no matter how much I just wanted to go to sleep right there. "Not that I don't appreciate the shoulder rub. But I got to say, for somebody who called in sick today..." I trailed off, glaring at him playfully.

"Yes, well." Sly rubbed the back of his head. "I may have exaggerated my symptoms a bit."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Just a bit? You made it sound like you were dieing this morning."

Sly just grinned as he flung his hands out. "What can I say, I'm a great actor."

I frowned and blinked, something about the way he said it. "And that was the only time you put on an act with me right?"

Sly bowed "Of course Senorita, I would never lie to you." Sly straightened and tapped his head with a finger. "Not that I could remember if it happened more then eight months ago." His normal grin grew a little wider as he stared at me. "Although I can't really complain about the last four months."

I shook my head as I stood up and stretched. "Free back and shoulder rubs whenever I want? A cute roommate who does his fair share of the housework? I don't think I can complain about the last four months either." I reached for the clasp on my belt and undid it, slinging it over my shoulder as I walked into our room. I felt a grin creep up on my lips as my eyes ran over the line of big thick pillow across the middle of my bed. When Sly had first moved in eight months ago, he had slept on the couch, until one morning four months ago, I had woken to find him asleep on the floor of my room.

After he had woken up from my shock blast he had explained how he had felt more comfortable with me in the room. How being there helped him relax, not that I bought that for a minute. But he was persistent, so I had let him sleep on a cot, a noisy cot, that squeaked whenever he moved. I think that had been part of a master plan to end up sharing the bed with me. My room wasn't big enough to upgrade the size of the bed, like his first option, or to get two separate beds, which was his second option. So I got around it by putting up the little barrier of pillows on my current one. A little childishness to combat his own, so far it seemed to be working. Plus it allowed me to still share a bed with him, and if things went well and Sly really didn't remember, perhaps in a few months it could come down.

I put my weapon in its rack on the wall and sat down on the bed, pulling my boots off. I kicked the door closed as I pulled off my coat and shirt and pulled on a loose sleeping gown, slipping out of my pants and sliding underneath the covers. A few moments later, as if he was waiting, the door opened and Sly walked in. He paused at the foot of the bed and tapped the pillows. "I don't suppose..."

I pulled the comforter over my head and wrapped my tail around my chest, pulling it tight against me, a grin forming on my mouth. "No Sly."

Sly sighed and ran a hand over my leg. "Sly now? What happened to Constable Cooper?"

I faked a yawn. "Too tired to care right now. Go to bed or I'll lock you out again and you can sleep on the couch."

Sly sighed again, and moved around the bed, a moment later I felt the mattress shift as he sat down. I waited until he laid down, then I waited a few more minutes for his breathing to deepen before I rolled over gently and moved the pillow that kept our heads separated. The moonlight was shining through a crack in my blinds and shining over his face. I chewed my lip slightly before I moved forward slowly and gently pressed my muzzle against the side of his. I backed away a moment later. "Good night Sly." I said softly as I closed my eyes, the pillow still in my hands.

I opened them what felt like a moment later and blinked as I failed to find Sly. I sat up and glanced around the room, my instincts screaming at me to wake up and pay attention. I snapped my head to the side to see the open window, that split second glance all it took to have me throwing off the comforter and dashing to the window and staring out at the street. A movement on the roof across from me caught my attention and I saw Sly standing on the top of the building. His back was too me and his cane was in his hand. I thought I saw him glance behind one time before he walked off. I stayed that way, staring, waiting for him to come back into sight. Eventually the sun made its way into the sky, and as the first rays of light touched my eyes, I blinked and I felt a tear slid into my fur.

My voice was deathly quiet with hurt as I spoke into the crisp air. "Sly...How could you?"

Carmelita opened her eyes slowly and yawned as she stretched under the covers. She blinked as she sat up, holding the covers to her chest and tried to remember what happened last night. She realized that she was still dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the day before, and then remembered that she had called Cooper on his headset, and that he had come over to talk, but after that, there was just a blank. It was as this point that she started looking around the room, something causing her to pay attention and really look.

The first thing was the hand crafted box that held her fathers shock pistol was laying out on her dresser instead of being tucked away inside her closet. Then the quiet of the morning sunk in, there should have been other sounds, her neighbors in the surrounding apartments, and the sound of her lower floor neighbor blasting his music as he went about his day.

Carmelita frowned and slid out of bed, she glanced at her closet before forgoing looking for a change of clothes. Instead she headed to her dresser and opened the gun box, taking her Fathers slightly heavier shock pistol in a stable two handed grip and moving towards the door. She checked the charge on the weapon and realized she only had enough charge for one really good shot. She glanced around the room once more and realized that it was actually bigger then before, subtle changes had been made to make her think it was the same size. Somebody was trying to fool her, and only one person came to mind. She reached for the door knob as she growled his name under her breath. "Cooper..."

She opened the door quietly and glanced down the hallway outside before she moved out with the shock pistol held in a ready position trying to figure out where she was. She took in her surroundings as she moved down the carpeted hallways. The more she saw, the more she felt like she was in a hotel somewhere. Was she even in Paris anymore? For that matter, how did she get here? Putting those questions aside, she focused on the three things she knew. Cooper was behind this, he would be somewhere near by, and when she found him she was going to beat his ringed tail so hard that he would be begging her to arrest him just to put some bars between them.

Carmelita grinned slightly to herself in the low light of the hallway as she imagined the various ways she was going to get Cooper back for this. As she rounded a corner, her ear perked, causing the hair on the top of her head to sway gently. She paused and listened again for the sound. She narrowed her eyes as she moved down the hallway towards an open door with light shining through into the hallway. Carmelita moved to stand next to the doorway and peeked her head around the corner. Inside was what looked like a living room of sorts. Against the far wall in between two boarded up windows sat a large TV.

The TV was currently powered on and what looked like some sort of furless female was chasing after a male carrying a large bag, shooting what looked like a shock pistol at him. There was no sound from the TV but she could hear voices talking. She ran her eyes to the couch with its back facing the doorway, she could make out the large shape of the Hippo, what was his name...Murray, sitting on the couch. Carmelita moved a few steps into the room and leveled her weapon at the back of Murray's head.

"You have three seconds to tell me where I am or I'll knock you into next month."

Murray gulped as he heard the whine as the pistol charged up its shot. Carmelita's ear twitched as she heard Bentleys voice groan. "Oh...I told you this would happen. Why did you leave that gun in there Sly?"

"Trust me Bentley, it was better that she had an obvious choice then improvising something."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes at Sly's voice, only to have them widen when she realized it was coming from behind her. It was then that her eyes tracked the cord for the controllers to the computer that was connected to the TV. One led to the controller in Murrays currently shaking hand and the other snaked up over the couch and dangled over her head to where Sly held his controller loosely in one hand while he stared down at her from his perch above the door.

Sly was wearing his usual smug grin as he watched her, his feet wrapped around the small point from the bar that was mounted to the wall. He was dressed in the clothes that he had come to see her in last night. "Glad to see you awake so soon. Bentley was afraid you would sleep all night too."

Carmelita aimed her shock pistol up at Sly. "Sleep? What did you do to me Cooper?! Where am I?!"

Sly held his hands up loosely, still grinning at her. "Hey, you can't blame me for the tea, that was Bentley's condition." Bentley squawked out a protest, which Sly ignored as he continued "As for where you are...well..." Sly dropped down off the bar and bowed low as he landed on the ground in front of Carmelita. "I'm just doing what you asked me, welcome to Casa de Cooper."

Carmelita kept her pistol leveled at Sly's face. "What are you talking about Cooper? What Tea? Why did you kidnap me?"

Sly leaned around her shock pistol to glance at the couch where Bentley had his head poked over the top of his wheelchair. "Uh Bentley, what exactly was in the tea you had me give her?"

Bentley made a slashing motion with his hand across his throat. "Stop saying that Sly, as for whats wrong with her I think shes having a averse reaction to the dosage. It sometimes can cause short term memory loss."

Sly moved his head back as Carmelita jammed the barrel under his chin with a murderous look in her eyes. "It'll wear off though right?"

Bentley gulped as Carmelita turned her head slightly to glare at him as well. "Uh, yes, most likely. In a few hours..." Bentley gulped again. "Or days." Carmelita blinked at his words before she sighed and lowered the shock pistol, taking a few steps back to collapse against the back of the couch, all the energy seeming to drain out of her body in one moment as she stared at the floor. "Cooper...Take me home."

Sly frowned and glanced at Murray and Bentley, who both shrugged. Carmelita caught onto the heavy silence and lifted her gaze to glance at the three of them. "What, whats wrong?"

Sly took a step forward "Carmelita, you asked to come live with me last night. This is your home."

Carmelita blinked and straightened on the couch. "No, I would never do that."

Sly crossed his arms and stared at her. "You're sure about that?"

Carmelita frowned and pushed off the couch, she took a step forward and pointed her finger in Slys face. "Don't talk to me like that Cooper, you have no right."

Sly moved his head back from her finger, lifting his own to push her arm gently down. "Even if I'm right?"

Carmelita opened her mouth to deny it but instead she just leaned back against the couch once more. "The thought may have crossed my mind." She crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. "Not that I would ever do something like that. Not after what you did to me."

Sly rolled his eyes. "But the fact still stands that you did Carmelita." Sly paused "I told you before that I know there is nothing that I can do to apologize for what I did to you. We both know that, but I also told you I would never stop caring about you, and I left you to protect you."

Carmelita rolled her own eyes as she glared at Sly again. "Don't give me that line, you know damn well that I can protect myself."

Sly shrugged his shoulders "I'll never deny that you can protect yourself, but some things you cant fight, this was something that I had to do, and trust me, it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life." Sly sighed and dropped his arms, he held out one hand to Carmelita. "Look, lets take a walk and I'll explain everything."

Carmelita glanced down at his outstretched paw with distrust. "Come on Carmelita, what do you have to lose?"

Carmelita sighed and tentatively put her hand in his. "Apparently nothing."

Sly nodded at Bentley and Murray before he led Carmelita out the door. "Think we could stop by your room and put your fathers gun back first?"

After a quick stop by Carmelita's room, Sly quickly led the fiery vixen through a series of short halls to a stairway as he told her of the events of the previous night. When they reached the stairwell, he led her up the three flights of stairs to a heavy metal door that Sly unlocked before he pushed it open. He stepped out into the bright sunlight and Carmelita followed him, a paw across her eyes to stave off the bright light.

"So you basically made me vanish off the face of the earth. Why would you do something like...that..." Carmelita trailed off as her eyes took in the city view before her. She still didn't know where they were, but she could tell that they were on the outskirts of Paris, and the rooftop offered the most spectacular view she could ever remember seeing. The setting sun was sitting just behind the Eiffel tower, throwing the tall structure and the rest of Paris into a sharp relief that would never be able to be captured by camera. The shadows stretching across the roads around them as the moving lights of cars made their way home for the night, all of it dominated by the mirror image of the towers shadow. "...Wow..."

Sly glanced over his shoulder at her, his grin as wide as ever, he turned to her and spread his arms out. "This is why I would do something like that. To give you this." He turned back to the city. "This is freedom Carmelita, well and true, being able to see this every morning and night, and it never gets old. You can do whatever you want with your life now." Sly dropped his arms and turned back to her, closing the distance and taking her paws in his. He lifted them up and kissed them softly. "I can never fix what I did, not really. But I can try my hardest to make sure you life is what you want it." Sly pulled her close and draped an arm over her shoulders, he gestured out to the cityscape before them again. "Right now, Carmelita Fox can do whatever she wants, nobody will be able to judge her and for once, shes in control, true control of her life."

Sly turned her to face him, his arms locked gently around her back as his face turned serious. "My gift to you is a choice Carmelita. You can do whatever you want, go where ever you want, and I'll see it done. If you still want to be in law enforcement, I'll do my best to get that set up somewhere else, or..." Sly trailed off and brought his hands down to Carmelita's again. He cupped them in his own. "We got a chance to get to know each other in the helicopter ride after we finally beat Clockwork. You could stay here with me, and get a chance to get to truly know me, in a way only a few other people know." Sly lips twitched in a small smile. "I think you could get to enjoy life here with me, no lies, no acting, just you and me."

Carmelita glanced down at their paws before meeting his gaze. "And Murray, Bentley, and Penelope too."

Sly smiled. "Them too." He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "The choice is yours Carm. Whatever you want." Sly took a step back, releasing his hold on her hands. "Think about what you really want Carmelita." Sly glanced at the stairway "I'll stand by you one hundred percent." Sly made his way to the stairway, taking a step into the open doorway, he glanced one last time at Carmelita who was still staring out at the cityscape before he sighed and headed for the stairs.

Carmelita inhaled the fresh air as she closed her eyes, when she opened them she glanced at the fire escape on the side of the room, she took a step towards it before she paused and glanced down at her cupped hands. She opened them and stared at the small piece of paper that Sly had slipped into her hands

It was a decorated piece of paper much like Sly's calling card, but this one had a red mask instead with a little black pony tail running down the back in a flap that would serve as the stand. Carmelita glanced at the card then up at the fire escape before turning her gaze back to the stairwell entrance. All of her life she knew what she wanted to be, but now that had been yanked from her and she felt torn at the decision she had in front of her. Try to return to her life as officer, stay with Sly, or...just leave. She glanced back out at the cityscape. "Just like that, change everything I've know about my life? How could you do this to me Sly?" She sighed and sat down on the roof.

"Come on Jack, we should take her now, get rid of them one at a time. It'll be easier then taking them out in one go."

"Patience Sheila, quit acting like a narkie. We didn't come all this way to just blow our cover right as we found out where they lived." The tiger's tail twitched as he watched the vixen through his binoculars. "Your sure this is their place Martina? It's not some sort of safe house that they can ditch at the first sign of trouble?"

The other tiger on the rooftop scoffed as she held a small notebook computer in one hand. "I'm sure Jackson. That turtle may think hes the only, how would you put it, ridgy-didge, in the tech world, but he ain't seen nothing like me yet. He's tried hard to mask his signal and power draw, but he can't fool me."

Jackson glanced at Martina, his twin swords swinging gently from their harness. "Don't pretend you know how an Aussie talks Martina, just do your job."

Martina rolled her eyes as Sheila stepped off the lip of the roof they were on to land back on the gravel rooftop. The leopardess took a few steps away her tail twitching through the air in agitation. "I'm not a narkie by the way Jack, you know that, I'm just hungry, that's all."

Jack shook his head as he turned his binoculars back to the adjacent rooftop. "We'll get you something to eat on the way back to our hideout. We're just here while we wait for Leo to finish fixing the donk in the van."

Shelia extended her claws as she ran her gaze over the rooftop. "Or I could just eat now."

Both Jackson and Martina turned around as a new voice echoed over the rooftop.

"Hey, you three can't be up here." A muscled doberman was working his away across the rooftop, a flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other.

Jackson glanced at Martina before turning back to his binoculars. Martina slid the notebook computer into a pouch on her hip, she stepped off to stand next to Shelia while reaching to adjust her belt, she shook her loose white sleeves over her hand as she moved forward to meet the guard, Sheila walking along aside her. "Hello there." she called out in a slightly airy voice. "We have a permit to be up here, you see were looking at buying some of the land from the city here." she held out her hand. "I'm Amanda Duane, and this is my partner Danielle Dupree. We're up and coming architects trying to make our marks, and we know that we both want that mark to be here in Paris."

The guard paused before he shook her outstretched hand. "While that may be true, I'm still going to need to see some paper work or-" The security guard cut off as he jerked his hand back from hers "Ouch."

Martina jerked her own arm back and quickly flashed her hand near her pocket, before pretending to examine her wrist. "Oh sorry, I think you got cut on a loose piece of my watch."

The doberman rubbed the small cut before turning his gaze back to Martina. "Its not a problem Ms. Duane, but I'm still going to need to see some paperwork."

Martina nodded, all smiles. "Not a problem, my body guard Geard over there has everything you'll need."

The doberman nodded. "Bodyguard eh, guess that explains the swords." The doberman headed towards Jackson, as he passed Martina, her fake smile slowly slid into a sly and wicked one, it wasn't long before her ears twitched as the guard stumbled and fell.

"Whats..."

Martina and Sheila both turned back towards Jackson and walked towards him as he continued to stare through the binoculars. The doberman gasping softly as they passed him by. The two girls stood behind Jackson as the sun continued to set. Eventually the doberman grew still, it was at this time as the fates would have it that Carmelita stood up on her rooftop and made her way to the stairwell.

Jackson stepped back from the lip and the three of them turned towards the fire escape of the far side of the roof. As they passed the dobermans still form Sheila eyed it, she paused only to continue walking when Martina spoke up. "Do it and you die the same way. Try to at least act normal around us, its bad enough what you do. I would really rather not have to witness it."

Sheila grinned at the tiger "What's the matter Martina? Scared that you might enjoy it?"

Jackson hushed them both with a wave of his paw as they started their descent to the street below them.

Right, so I mentioned bad news, its not bad, so much as sad and depressing, at least to me. I should have updated this story a while ago, but the last month has been emotionally hard on me. It started with the death of my dog, I can not even begin to express how much Faust meant to me, and when he died, I was torn, Faust was my dog, my friend, and my brother, he was also a bit of a muse, and without him, well, writing was really hard. Just when I started to try and write something again, my dad got life flighted to the nearby hospital because of a heart attack. Needless to say, this also destroyed my groove, thankfully my dad is fine and back to his normal self, but still, the past month has not been kind to me or mine. To that end, I'm not sure my writing has been as good as I usually strive for, so apologies for that.

Right, well with the lack of updates and the poor writing explained, I hope you all enjoyed the story so far, next chapter I introduce the final major oc's who plays a part in the main plot. Then we start really getting into the thick of it. So, just a real quick note, you may have noticed I added some Aussie words to Jack and Sheilas speech. I took these words from a site that claimed to be a collection of slang from down under. If I butchered any of the words and any readers from the nation are offended, please, leave a review, or PM me and tell me how to fix them, otherwise, here's the meanings from the site for you below, and how I was using them.

Narkie- Hot Headed

Donk- Engine

Ridgy-didge- One of a Kind

So before you click that review button and tell me what you thought, its time for guest reviews! As a quick note there, I did not respond to those who didn't create some sort of name for the review, I just didn't want to have Guest1, Guest2, and so on.

C.J. Young: Well, there you have it, she woke up, and much threatening ensued, As for that first bit, I'll reveal more on that, you know, later. : P

Apandagirl: I'm glad you enjoying the story, and I love Sly and Carmelita as a couple as well.

Miriam: Sly does trust her, as I hinted here, it was Bentley who insisted on the drug. He may love Carmelita, but he couldn't just walk her into his hideout all how do you do. I'm glad you enjoying and hopefully I'll keep the work good.

Carmelita Fox: Glad you're enjoying and hopefully you'll know more soon. : P

Ghostkid33: Well, she wasn't happy, and it looks like Sly has another plan in motion, I wonder what it could be...

HeartSeeker: I'm glad you're enjoying, and I thought the first part in chapter 1 was pretty great too. I'm really glad to hear you say that, thats my biggest fear you know, that I won't keep them enough in character to be believable, in fact, that's a big fear for this chapter as well. I know I didn't keep it as much on Carmelita this chapter, but I just had to introduce some of the other characters, you know plot and all that.

Thank you, all of you for you reviews, remember, you guys and gals are what drives this story, so please, take some time to leave your thoughts, as you can see above, I respond to ALL the reviews I can. Remember, Reviews keep this story going! So click the review button and leave some thoughts, the more reviews the more focus I put on the story!

6-11-13: I'm sorry this story hasn't been updated in so long, I'm trying, really, its just, none of the ideas seem to flow together and mesh right, which leads to me scrapping what I'm working on. I will try and get an update out before I leave on a trip here in a few days though. Note, key word, Try.

Peace,

- Emile