A/N: I greatly altered this chapter, and it hopefully flows a lot more smoothly than it did.

Chapter 2 Not With My Vixen, You Don't

It had been a few months or so since Sly and Carmelita separated and she was beginning to act normal again, not extremely depressed, but not completely herself either. She was starting to be more productive around the office, making conversation with her fellow officers and friends.

One day, as she was filing some mundane paperwork, she didn't notice Tony at her doorway. He stood there, silently admiring her alluring beauty, his russet tail swishing back and forth. He wanted to say something, anything. But he didn't know where to start. And he didn't want to sound stupid either. He nervously ran his hand through his spiky head of hair.

Suddenly, Inspector Carmelita looked up and noticed him. She smiled, crinkling her nose. "Hey Scruffy," she teased, calling him by the nickname she'd given him during his first week as a rookie.

"Hey there Inspector," he said, smiling back. What a gorgeous vixen she was. How did that thieving raccoon ever let her slip from his grasp? He didn't know, but he was so glad he had. Not because it broke Carmelita's heart, but because it gave him a chance to mend it. Or so he thought.

"How've you been?" he asked sincerely.

"Busy," she answered with a laugh. "I've been buried in paperwork. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to go out into the field again soon."

His green eyes focused on her captivating features. She had ambition, looks, personality, humor, everything. "Well whenever that is, I hope we're assigned to team up together again. It's always a pleasure to be teamed up with someone who has so much experience."

She looked up over her glasses and a smirk formed on her crimson lips. "You know if you're looking to flatter someone to help your cause, I'm not the one should be talking to," she said.

Tony chuckled softly. "But I get a much better response from you than I would from Barkley."

She rolled her eyes and removed her glasses. She looked up at him, her chestnut eyes warm and soft for the first time in months. "Is there something you needed Tony?" she asked.

He had been silently admiring her, daydreaming, and mentally chided himself for not hearing her question as he looked back up at her. "I'm sorry?" he asked.

She smiled and one of her eyebrows quirked, catching onto why he seemed to be distracted. "Is there something you needed?" she asked again.

He shrugged, though on the inside he couldn't have been more nervous. "I, uh, just wanted to ask you…if…if you've been doing alright lately?" He wanted to slap himself for chickening out yet again.

She folded her hands together and her two-toned ears twitched as the sadness clouded her features again. "I've been alright, thanks for asking. Much better than I have been."

He smiled warmly as he slowly approached her desk. "That's good. Just know that if you ever need a shoulder to lean on, you have friends around here. Most of the girls can be pretty catty, but some guys around here aren't too bad."

She scoffed gently and gathered a few papers, stacking them together. "You mean the ones that don't whistle cat calls brought on by these lovely uniforms that expose so much fur on us female officers?" Carmelita was suddenly hit with a feeling of anxiety, her own words reminding her that her muscle tone had been covered by softer skin after her body had begun to undergo changes to accommodate for the little kit inside. She knew that soon she would no longer be able to wear the usual zip up midriff top she wore as part of her Interpol uniform, she could barely get away with it now. But that was a matter to worry over on a later day.

Tony's warm chuckle brought her back to their current conversation. "Yea a few pigs around here really live up to that name, but we're not all bad, I swear."

She smiled. "Yea, I know that. It's a comfort to know there are still a few nice guys left in the world."

He ran a hand through his head fur, something he did without realizing whenever he got nervous, which became commonplace when he was around Inspector Fox. "Hey listen," he said. He swallowed hard as his heart rate picked up like a patient waiting for test results in the hospital. "Even though I haven't been around as long as you, I do know how stressful being locked up all day at work can be." He rubbed at the fur on the back of his neck as his gaze dropped to the floor, something that was a lot less intimidating to stare at. "And it's nice to take a break every now and then. I actually came across this cute little café down the street, and…I mean I'm not sure if you're a coffee drinker, but there's other things to drink and eat there—"

"Tony," she stopped him and the male fox looked back up at her as he halted his rambling. She narrowed her eyes and had an amused smile on her face. She lifted a finger up to him. "Ar-are you…asking me out on a date?"

His jaw fell open slightly before he could clamp his muzzle lips together again. "Uh…maybe?" He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "It doesn't have to be a date though. I-I just thought you'd like to enjoy yourself a little with a guy who really enjoys your company as well."

Her eyes darted left and right as she tried to comprehend that a very good friend of hers was trying to take the next step with her, and all she could think about was Sly Cooper. Would it be alright to give dating a shot so soon? She'd just barely gotten over him, if she even was totally over him yet.

"So…what do you say, Carmelita?" he asked hopefully, dreading the possibility of rejection and the sting that would come with it.

She opened her mouth to answer, but just as she did, a wave of nausea hit her out of nowhere. She gasped and cupped a hand over her muzzle as she jumped and raced past the shocked fox, making a mad dash for the restroom down the hall.

"Carmelita?" Tony called after her in alarm.

When she returned after washing up and popping a slice of gum in her mouth, something that she always carried with her now that she got sick at work quite often lately, she met Tony in the hallways. He looked very concerned, which was cute to her.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yea," she answered weakly, waving a hand in the air in a nonchalant manner. "I'm fine. Just a little queasy…and embarrassed." She smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I get the picture then," he jabbed.

She rolled her eyes and snorted, pushing blue locks out of her face. "No, no, it wasn't you. I guess I'm…just not feeling too well right now." She knew full well what was wrong but didn't feel like explaining it at the moment.

He placed a hand on her arm. "Do you need to take the day off?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern though."

He pursed his lips but shrugged. "If you say so. You know yourself better than anyone I guess."

She crossed her arms, a gentle smile forming on her lips. "And uh, about that date…"

His pointed ears perked as he waited for her answer.

"I'd love to take you up on that offer Tony," she finally said.

His eyebrows rose and his lips parted faintly. "Really?"

She giggled, and the sweet sound warmed his heart. "Sure, it actually sounds fun, and it would be really nice to get my mind off of…" her last word came in a sigh "everything."

Tony smiled brightly. "Well I can assure you that I can and will, and will do my best to make sure you have a nice time."

She gave a nod. "Sounds great, officer. I have to get back to work though, before I drown in this paperwork."

He grinned and chuckled. "Right, me too." He then began to step backwards towards his office. "So, when would be a good time for you? You wanna say…this Friday? Around eight?"

She nodded again. "That's good with me. As long as we're both off that night."

He held a finger up and frowned, his eyes falling to the floor as his mind sorted through his work schedule.

She laughed again and turned to head back for her office. "Don't worry, we'll work it out," she called.

He smiled. "Awesome," he called back and turned and strolled the opposite way down the hall.

As the male fox reached his office, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it, trying to take in what just happened. "She said yes," he whispered. He then jumped up and down, raising his fists up against his chest victoriously. "She said yes!" After a moment he calmed himself and returned to his own lovely paperwork.

Carmelita did not seem as excited as Tony currently was. She walked over and sat down at her desk. Her mind was swirling in confliction. She just agreed to go on a date with a fellow officer and good friend of hers. Even though he'd asked her in an attempt to ease her stress, this, unbeknownst to him of course, stressed the vixen out even further. Dating always leads to assumptions and expectations, no matter how innocent the guy claims the reason for the date is. If it didn't go well, would this destroy the platonic relationship she shared with him?

She groaned and leaned back in her chair, placing her hands over her face. As if things couldn't have gotten any more complicated than they already were.

She looked down at her stomach. It was still mostly flat, but swelled with a gentle curve. The change was yet to be extremely obvious, aside from her bouts of sickness. She rested her hands gently on her exposed lower stomach. "Well," she spoke softly to the baby. "I may never see your dad again, and if things don't go well with Tony, at least I still have you. I hope you'll still love me…even if ends up being just the two of us…"

One week later

Back at the Safe House across town with his gang, Sly had been suffering the effects of a broken heart over the past three months. He was looking shabby and slightly emaciated; eating wasn't the same if he didn't get to enjoy his meal with the love of his life. He'd dearly missed his friends and was so glad to be back in the company of his brothers. But the pain of heartbreak was pulling him farther and farther into a bleak abyss.

He didn't seem as jovial and motivated as he once was. Bentley and Murray often looked at their comrade and felt sad for him. They wished he could go back to the way he was before. Even Penelope could tell he wasn't the same.

Seeing the turtle and mouse, being so in love as they were, watching the way they looked at each other with pure contentment in their eyes, practically destroyed him inside.

Murray slid a sandwich on a plate to Sly, who was slumped at the table. "Buddy, c'mon, you gotta eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Sly mumbled, pushing the plate away.

Bentley sighed and wheeled over to him in his wheelchair. "Sly, it's been three whole months, going on four. You gotta snap outta this."

"I can't. I lied. She'll never forgive me," was all he could mumble in a quiet voice.

"How do you know she hasn't?" Murray asked.

Sly looked glumly at his hippo friend, his eyelids heavy on his weary eyes, as sleep had also been evading the forlorn raccoon.

"Murray has a point, Sly," Bentley attempted. "Maybe Inspector Fo- uh, Carmelita, has forgiven you for lying, and she wants to tell you. Maybe you should go out and find her. Explain to her in a way she will understand that you did it all for her. And remember, she had a part to play in the lie as well. I'm sure she harbors a great deal of guilt about it herself."

Sly lifted his head, slowly taking Bentley's words into consideration. "Maybe you're right, but…" he shook his head. "What if she still hates me?"

"You won't know until you ask," Murray pointed out.

"…You think?" Sly asked. A twinkle appeared in his eye that his friends hadn't seen in ages.

"You have to find out. You love her, and you need to fix this, or at least have closure. Talk this out with her, and end this. Once and for all." Bentley told him.

Sly slowly rose. "You're right." He couldn't fully admit it to himself, but he did need to close the door with Carmelita for good. Even if he didn't want to. Like Bentley said, he needed closure.

So when evening fell, instead of going on a heist, Sly went on a search. He scampered through the backstreets in downtown Paris, moving swiftly through alleys and over fences on his way to Carmelita's apartment, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed something. Someone.

Carmelita was standing at the entrance of a Parisian café, wearing a simple black dress. Even dressing in simple attire and wearing little makeup, her appearance could always prompt heads to turn, and tonight was no different. Something didn't look quite the same about her though. Sly cocked his head and narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure it out. Had she gained weight? It was very hard to tell, but it almost looked to him like she had.

It didn't matter. She was still the most beautiful vixen in the world to Sly, and always would be. Merely seeing her tonight after the last few months sent his heart on a roller coaster ride.

Sly was about to run over to greet her when he caught sight of a spiky-haired fox walking up to her, taking her hands. They both smiled brightly. It was the fox that had come with her the night he'd been caught in the act.

The thief's eyes widened. Tony? What's he doing out with Carmelita?

Hand in hand, the foxes walked into the café. Sly, worried that they were out on a date together, decided he had to sneak closer for a better look.

So, he spied, from an obscure window on the side of the building. Sly couldn't make out what they were saying but they looked very cheerful and happy, the guy especially. How could she be out with someone else when they'd only separated a few months ago? Wasn't it a little fast? Sly was hurt that she'd seemed to forgotten about him already.

A sneer crossed Sly's face as the male fox reached for Carmelita's hands from across the table they sat at.

"Not with my vixen, you don't," Sly growled under his breath.

Soon, they left and Tony drove her home. He helped her out of the car and walked with her down the sidewalk the rest of the way to her apartment, one toned arm snaked around her curvy waist. The mere sight made Sly's blood boil.

Sly had followed, unseen from the rooftops, and watched from a nearby terrace hidden in the shadows as Carmelita's date led her up the steps to her apartment door.

She turned to face him, a gentle smile on her lips. "Thanks for the coffee, Tony. I had a great time tonight."

"So did I Carmelita. It's great spending time with you outside of work." Tony smiled back warmly.

She tucked a curl behind her ear. "Yea, it's nice to get to know a guy who doesn't size me up like a piece of meat."

He grinned and lightly elbowed her. "See, I told you I'm a nice guy."

She giggled. "Yes, I have to give you that much. You really are, and it means a lot that you wanted to help me get my mind off things."

He shrugged and slowly reached for her hands. "Well, nice guys are honest, so I suppose I should confess that it was partly because I really like you Carmelita." He immediately regretting saying it, knowing it was way too soon to tell her that.

Her lips parted. What was she supposed to say?

Tony's jacket and Carmelita's hair blew in the evening breeze. He gazed into her soft brown eyes. He didn't give her time to respond before he closed his eyes and slowly leaned in to kiss her.

Sly's eyes grew wide, heart practically jumping into his throat. "No!" he whispered fiercely.

Carmelita gasped and she appeared to almost be frightened. "N-wait, stop!" she cried, and abruptly pushed Tony away.

Sly breathed a quiet sigh a relief.

Tony looked hurt. His ears flattened and he closed his eyes, cringing softly at the feeling of rejection.

"Tony," Carmelita spoke, looking into his disappointed eyes when they opened once more. "Look, I'm sorry. I just, I think this is…moving a little fast. I still don't know how I feel. About anything. My emotions are going haywire…I'm just a little gun-shy right now." Her ears and bushy tail drooped.

Tony smiled sympathetically and lifted her chin with a gentle finger. "Hey it's alright, I know. I'm sorry; I should've given you more time. Let you think things over and stuff."

"Yea," she sighed, her two-toned ears still flattened, as she stared at the ground.

He gave her a hug and another reassuring smile. "See you at work tomorrow?"

"Sure," she said, still not being able to look him in the eye. "Good night." And she swiftly unlocked her door and slipped inside.

A dejected Tony shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and walked down the sidewalk to his car. Not exactly how he'd hoped his date with Carmelita would end.

Sly on the other hand was very relieved at the way the evening had concluded, and grinned in satisfaction as he watched the fox drive away into the distance.

Later, Sly made his way to the balcony and as he attempted to gather the courage to go inside, he admired Carmelita from afar as she got settled in bed and quickly fell asleep. Her cobalt locks cascading all over her pillow, she resembled a slumbering goddess. Sly was so thankful that she hadn't invited Tony in for the night. He didn't like him. Not one bit.

She tossed and turned, and began to talk in her sleep, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He wanted to know so badly. Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to creep inside and take a listen.

Before he knew it, Sly found himself in Carmelita's bedroom, formerly his as well. He missed it so much. Everything appeared to be just the way it was when he'd been forced to leave, except for the occasional blouse or pair of shoes of Carmelita's scattered on the carpet.

He crept closer to the sleep talking fox. At first it was all just nonsensical words, but then his ears perked to her uttering other things.

"S-Sly," Carmelita mumbled. "Sly Cooper."

Sly's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. She was thinking of him! As she slept, maybe she was dreaming of him. He could only hope.

"Sly…baby. Baby…"

He smiled. She called him 'baby' in her sleep. She still liked him, maybe loved him.

He decided he would come back when she was awake and talk to her; he couldn't bear to wake her from whatever dream she might've currently been having. Suddenly, Sly sneezed, immediately wishing that he hadn't. The noise caused Carmelita to stir. Instinctively, she grabbed her shock pistol off her nightstand and aimed it in the direction of the sneezing intruder.

Sly stared back at her like a deer in the headlights, or rather a raccoon at the business end of a pistol. He held his hands up.

Carmelita's expression of threatening transformed into a mixture of shock and something Sly couldn't identify. He was here; after being gone the past few months, here he was, standing before her in her bedroom. Her mind scrambled as a violent flood of emotions rose up within her. So many things she wanted to say, questions she had, but she couldn't say a word; she could only stare up at him, still trying to comprehend that he was really here.

"Wha-Sly?" she asked, lowering her shocking weapon.

The suave raccoon thief smiled, putting one hand behind his head. "Hey there beautiful."

"Wha…um…hey. What…what in the world are you doing here? In the middle of the night?" Her tone was curious, not defensive. There were so many more important questions she wanted to ask, but still couldn't bring herself to do so.

"Uh, well…um…" Sly bit his lip "I just…wanted to come see you and see how you were doing." And to tell you how relieved I am that you're not in bed with that Tony guy, Sly said in his mind. He then sighed deeply. "Actually, the truth is I couldn't take not seeing you for so long Carmelita." He turned to go. "It's not that I just wanted to come see you; I couldn't stand being away from you." He looked down, knowing his speech would soon be cut off by the heartbroken vixen. "I'm…sorry to disturb you, I'll leave if you w-"

"Wait," Carmelita exclaimed.

Sly stopped and spun to face her. "Yes?"

Carmelita pushed the covers off her body, and that's when Sly noticed her stomach again, slightly poking out underneath her tank top. It just wasn't like her to be out of shape. But that was not important. He shook his head and waited for what she was going to say.

"I'm…I'm actually really glad you stopped by, Sly," she said, not making eye contact.

His ears perked and his heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

"Yes," she answered. "I've kind of…" she began playing with a strand of her hair. "I've been needing to tell you something. But didn't know where you'd left to."

"Oh? Well I'm here now," he replied warmly.

"Yea..." Carmelita bit her lip, looking away, the flood of emotion transforming into a tornado. "I'm not sure how you're going to feel about it, you're probably not gonna be happy about it…but I just really need to tell you. It's important."

Sly sat down on the bed next to her, taking one of her hands in his. It felt so good to finally be able to do that again. "Carmelita, it's alright. Just tell me."

Carmelita sighed deeply, gathering up all the courage she could muster, her eyes dropping down to her tummy. "Sly…I'm pregnant."

Sly stared at her for a few moments. "You're what?"

"I'm gonna...have a baby," she told him, but it almost came out sounding like a question. She sat cross-legged next to him, gauging his reaction.

After a long moment, his brow furrowed. That explained her figure. "So, is that Tony guy the father?"

"What?" Her eyebrows shot up and her ears perked in confusion.

"That fox guy you work with at Interpol. I saw him out with you tonight." He laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Well that's great Carm, you two must be blissfully in love. Bet you cherished every moment of making that baby with him too!" He glared, anger burning inside him.

"Sly…it's not his baby. He's not the father."

Sly's head snapped back up as he looked at her in shock. "He's...he's not?"

She shook her head.

"Well…so who is then?"

Carmelita placed both her hands on his and stared at him intently. "Sly, you are."

First of all, I really appreciate all who've been reading. Positive reviews encourage me to keep going. Readers who weren't fans of Tony from the get-go, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this chapter.

Because I love you so much for reviewing and picking your favorite (2-0, majority wins! Yay!) I am posting the next five, count 'em, five chapters in quick concurrence of Sly's story. If someone reviews and wants to see what would happen between Carmelita and Tony, I have that next chapter prepared as well. In his story, you may find that he's not such a sketchy figure.

Revised A/N: Woo I was excited about them reviews wasn't I? Tony has gotten more of the spotlight than I ever imagined, now that he appears in my friend's fic as well. But I feel totally unprofessional about trashing his original story idea, and for that I sincerely apologize.

Well, if you spotted all the differences, hoorah! This chapter was very poorly put together originally, since the first five were hastily written, so I hope you like what I did to change it, if you're re-reading that is. And if you are, that makes me happy. :)

8/24/18: Annnnd I revise again. Because I just can't leave well enough alone. :p