Many of you have been telling me how much you like the Murray/Tabby relationship. So, I thought that I'd push my epic chapter back and give these two a little time in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy this cute little chapter devoted to them, and THEN things heat up next chapter.

Chapter 20 A Racing Heart for a Total Knockout

A couple of days after the heist, Murray got the pleasure of spending an entire day with his new friend Tabby, who he hoped would be more than just his friend once they spent more time together.

Walking down the sidewalk, on his way to see her, he thought about just how excited he was to meet up with her again. Just picturing the attractive warthog girl in his mind made his heart thump erratically. It was a little overwhelming for the hippo to have a female enjoy spending time with him, not to mention that she considered him dating material; that part was something Murray couldn't comprehend yet.

Aside from the brotherly love he had for Sly and Bentley, Murray had always had one love in his life and one love only: the team van. Driving and brawling were the two things he excelled at, but he had discovered he had an extreme interest in racing as well. He just loved the feel of flying at incredible speeds as he zoomed around the track. It wasn't merely that it was something he felt he was good at; it gave him a real rush, just like Sly got when skulking around on heists, or when Bentley used his demolitions expertise to take down secured structures as part of said heists.

And brawling was a close second. Fighting off dangerous enemies the gang ran into reminded him how important his role in the Cooper Gang really was. It felt incredible to be able to use his hulking frame to aid his friends in their efforts, as well as drive the van, which is what he could return to doing once they all returned to Paris. But brawling always excited the hippo; it gave him purpose.

So to find out that Tabby happened to take great interest in boxing was almost too good to be true for him. She'd informed him about the boxing tournament she was competing in, and hoped he could make it. And since the team just got through with the heist and everyone was taking it easy, there was no way he would miss it.

He purchased his ticket and entered the arena to the sounds of cheering and hollering. He stood in the walkway, taking in the view of the enormous arena, and all its rowdy inhabitants. And then his eyes fell on a sight that made his jaw drop: Tabby dressed in tight athletic attire that showed off her meaty but muscular torso, boxing with a female mongoose. She threw a powerful haymaker to the mongoose's jaw, sending her falling back into the far right corner of the ring. The mongoose saw stars before her head fell back hard against the smooth platform. The referee counted down loudly from ten, and when she didn't get back up by the time he reached one, he grabbed Tabby's wrist and lifted it into the air, declaring her the winner of the match.

Murray found himself cheering with the rest of the crowd at her victory before he could even find a seat. This whole time, he'd pegged Tabby as a gentle, shy sweetheart. And while she seemed to be that as well, she apparently packed quite a punch. Murray was amazed and astonished all at once. It was one thing for her to off-handedly mention to him that she boxed a little as a hobby, but to see her in action, taking down her opponent with surprising precision and strength, left the hippo speechless. Every time she took down a new opponent, Murray stood up and pumped his large fists, cheering for her. He found himself throwing small punches in the air himself as he rooted for her.

When the final round began, Murray began to grow nervous. Tabby had to go up against a heavyset male rhino, who was slightly taller and much larger than she was. But she didn't seem scared in the least. She had a determined smile on her face, seeming to know she would enjoy the coming challenge. When the bell rang out, signaling the beginning of the first round, the two left their corners to confront one another. The rhino flared his nostrils and slammed his gloves together before swinging at the smaller warthog. She leaned away before delivering a swift Bolo punch to his gut, causing him to stumble a little. "C'mon, big guy," she taunted as she balled her fists and placed them in front of her face. "Don't go easy on me just 'cause I'm a girl. Hit me with your best shot."

After another round, they were both looking winded, the rhino more than Tabby. Murray was sure that the attractive warthog had this in the bag, until the rhino slammed his fist into her chest, and the sheer force from his massive fist sent her falling to the ground. She lie sprawled out on the floor and a few audience members gasped.

Murray clenched his fists, his heart skipping a beat as he saw her on the floor, motionless.

The referee ran over and knelt down beside her and began to countdown. "Ten! Nine! Eight!..." he bellowed.

She didn't move.

"Seven! Six! Five!.."

"C'mon Tabby! Get up!" Murray yelled.

"Four…three…"

The referee hadn't reached two before her eyelids fluttered open and she growled up at the rhino, who looked completely shocked. With slight effort, she got to her feet and shot him a victorious grin. "I told you not to go easy on me, rhino boy."

The ref held his fist up in the air. "She's back in folks!" he announced.

The crowd cheered and applauded as Tabby charged the heavyset rhino in his stunned state.

After bobbing and weaving for another minute, Tabby executed an impressive clinch, looping both her hands around the outside of the rhino's shoulders, scooping back under his hefty forearms to grasp his arms tightly against his own body, blocking him from throwing another blow. When she unlooped herself from him, she threw a sudden hook to his cheek. As he stumbled yet again on his stubby legs, she took advantage of his lack of focus, and sent a jab to his other cheek. After swaying a bit, the exhausted rhino hit the floor with a resounding thud. The ref counted backwards from ten once more. When he didn't make an effort to stand after 'one', the bell rang, and the ref grabbed an ecstatic Tabby's wrist again.

"We have a winner! Tabby 'The Hurricane' Fanelli!" the announcer's voice filled the arena.

The whole arena was roaring with cheers and applause, all except for a few males who were a little put off that a girl actually won a boxing competition.

She was the given the championship belt and savored the sound of cheers and people chanting her name.

Murray stared in admiration at the female warthog. She wasn't just a girl who liked to box; she was great at it too. This fact made Murray even more attracted to her than before.

Later, after she had showered and redressed into a normal shirt and jeans, she greeted her fans and gladly signed autographs and took pictures with them. She didn't consider herself a professional at the sport, but was so glad she had a few fans who enjoyed seeing her compete.

When the small crowd dispersed, she noticed a pink hippo lingering near the doorway. She grinned brightly and rushed over to wrap him in a hug, which caught him by surprise. He chuckled and returned the warm hug before she detached herself to smile up at him. "You actually came to see me fight?" she asked.

He smiled. "You kiddin'? Wouldn't miss it! I saw every round," he answered.

Her icy blue eyes sparkled. "You did?"

He nodded. "Oh yea. Like, when you took down that mongoose chick…oh man, it rocked. She never saw it coming when you threw that awesome haymaker." He mimicked her boxing moves, swinging his fists in the air, and she giggled. "You went like this, and she hit the floor. Ka-bam!" He looked down at her and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I get excited about stuff involving combat."

The amused grin remained on her face and she shrugged. "Hey so do I. Especially when I have the great pleasure of winning. Even if I hadn't won though, physical combat…I can't explain it. It just always gets me so pumped up!"

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on the hippo's face. "Yea? Well, me too. I never knew you liked that kind of stuff though." He held his hands up. "Don't get me wrong, it's totally cool! I just…I dunno, thought you were more of a shy girl. Never expected you to be such a great fighter."

She laughed as she pulled the hairtie from her brunette ponytail, allowing the straight locks to fall freely before she tied them up once more. "Yea, I mean, I usually am shy in public." She shrugged her shoulders and placed a hand on her hip. "Always have been. But, when I'm in the ring, I really come alive. It's a feeling like no other."

"Totally," Murray agreed. "You were outstanding." He gestured to himself by placing his right thumb against his chest. "'The Murray' approves."

She smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "The Murray?" she inquired.

He nodded. "It's a nickname me and my buddies came up with."

"Oh, the guys that helped you take down those crazy train robbers?"

He started to answer, but stopped himself, scratching the back of his head. He hadn't yet explained that he was part of a gang of thieves, and he still didn't want to. He was scared she would look down upon him and his lifestyle, and then he'd lose any chances he had with the wonderful female standing in front of him. "Yea," he answered. "W-we try to help others out whenever we can. We're really tight. We're practically always with each other. We're sort of a team, and I happen to be our team driver."

Tabby's tawny ears flicked. "Team driver huh? Must mean you're a skilled guy behind the wheel then."

He shrugged. "I don't like to brag, but I do alright. What I love more than anything is racing though, actually."

A grin formed on her face. "No way," she said with a hint of disbelief.

He nodded. "Totally. When I hear that engine rev up, and I'm flying at unbelievable speed…I get a real rush."

She folded her arms and continued to smile up at him. "Well then, maybe you'd like to see what I was awarded for earning this little championship title." She gestured for him to follow her as she turned and walked away.

He cocked his head to one side, not understanding what she meant, but gladly following anyways.

She brought him to a door at the end of the hall. She opened it to reveal a vast room shrouded in darkness. Once she flicked the light switch on, Murray gasped audibly.

In the center of the garage was a gigantic jet black truck. It looked pristine as it gleamed in the lights overhead. Not just your typical truck though; this particular truck looked as if it was created solely to be raced.

"Whoa," was all Murray could manage as he gawked at the gorgeous truck.

Tabby walked over and rested a hand on the passenger door. "Yep. This baby's all mine. Of course there are always a few hidden fees here and there, but I won it fair and square. Signed for and everything, and now I can get behind the wheel to see what it can really do!"

Murray's hands hung limply at his side. He smiled and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I'm totally jealous Tabby."

She grinned. "I don't blame ya." She gestured him over. "Let's take a look under the hood, shall we?"

He nodded enthusiastically and walked over to join her as she popped the hood. The two of them studied the workings of the car. The engine was large, three-hundred fifty eight cubic inches at least; not many street-cars had engines that big, something both of them knew. And the ones that did usually generated well over three hundred horsepower.

Murray pointed at something that caught his attention. "Check out those camshafts!"

Tabby nodded. "Yep. These allow so much more air to be packed into those cylinders, which means more power! Not to mention the intake and exhaust that will give it a major speed boost. And it looks like the carburetors let in a crazy amount of air and fuel. And that programmable ignition system there? Beautiful."

Murray whistled as he took it all in. "This whole thing's a beauty, Tabby."

A thoughtful smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Murray admiring her new truck. She closed the hood. "You know," she said. "It was really nice of you to pay for a ticket just to see me box today. Why don't you let me make it up to you, by taking you for a spin in my new ride?"

He looked at her with that same open-mouthed stare. "Really?"

She nodded. "Mhm. And…maybe…if you're nice to me, I'll treat you to dinner."

He smiled, feeling conflicted. This was just too much. "That's really nice of you Tabby, but you don't have to take me to dinner. Getting to see you compete today was more than enough."

She drummed her fingertips on the hood cover as she leaned against the huge truck. "Well, I suppose if I'm driving you, it's really my choice on whether we go to dinner, now isn't it?"

A smile slowly formed on his lips and he chuckled warmly. "Can't argue there."

She reached into her purse and pulled the key out tossing it in the air and catching it. "And if you're really nice, I'll let you drive it back to your place, so you don't have to walk all the way home, or wherever it is you guys are staying."

Murray grinned. "What are we waitin' for?" he asked excitedly.

She grinned back and ran over to the driver's side, hopping in and putting the key in the ignition. The truck roared to life with a thunderous sound. Once Murray situated himself in the passenger seat, she backed out of the garage onto the highway. She smirked mischievously, narrowing her eyes. "Alright, let's see how fast this baby can go." She hit the gas and zoomed down the street.

As she sped down the streets, she squealed with excitement. "Nothing beats goin' seventy five miles an hour in a ride with an engine this powerful!" She eased down on the gas pedal a little more. "This rocks!"

Murray chuckled as he looked over at the female warthog. He never knew he'd be spending time with someone he had so much in common with. The hippo was enjoying himself more than he had in a very long time.

When they reached the restaurant Tabby decided on, as she was the local who knew the city well, they walked in to the smell of deep fried grease, something they both loved, as deep fried batter and grease meant delicious food to the two of them. Forget fine dining; for Tabby and Murray, burgers and fries topped everything else.

As they ate delicious American food in the ironically Italian restaurant, they talked about their love of driving and racing. It was so easy for Murray to just shoot the breeze with her. They could go out and not be the couple that holds hands and steals kisses as they sit across from each other, gazing into each other's eyes like love-struck fools. They could just chat about anything and laugh at the stories they told each other.

Tabby really was something else. While sweet and presentable when she needed to be, she had a real wild side. A rugged edgy side that craved excitement, a fiery side that fueled her desire to run with the big dogs, or hippos. Murray enjoyed talking with her the more time he spent with her. But he couldn't shake the guilt he felt for never being truthful to her about what he did for a living. As they were finishing eating, Tabby noticed something was up with him.

"What's wrong Murray?" Tabby asked before taking a sip of her drink.

He loosened the scarf around his neck. "Tabby…I need to come clean about somethin'."

She smirked and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yea you see…" He gulped as he fiddled with his scarf even more. "I haven't really told you what kind of 'team' I'm a part of."

She clasped her hands together casually. "Yea, I was wondering what you meant when you said that. So, what exactly do you and your friends do?"

He fidgeted in his seat, not wanting to tell her, looking out the window to his right.

She frowned. "Are you that embarrassed about your job?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck, something he did often around her. "No, i-it's not really that, exactly. I'm just not sure you'd really approve…"

She snorted and gave him a reassuring smile. "Aw it can't be bad Murray. It's not like you're some kind of criminal or something." She popped a French fry in her mouth and looked up to see Murray giving her a worried look.

Her brow furrowed. "You…you're not…are you?"

He sighed. "Kind of. But it's not what you think I swear. Lemme explain."

She laughed once in disbelief, thinking he had to be joking. She crossed her arms and smiled in amusement. "This ought to be good."

He took the straw in his drink and began to stir it nervously in a circular motion. This was the part when he confessed and told about his peculiar lifestyle, and she would most likely never want to see him again. "Ya see…my friends and I met at an orphanage when we were kids. Remember me telling you I'm an orphan?"

She nodded.

"Well, my friend, Bentley and I met our other friend, Sly Cooper, at that orphanage. He's been our group leader." He looked up at Tabby's suspicious but seemingly understanding expression. "We formed this little team called the Cooper Gang. Bentley's our tech guy, and I'm full time driver." Murray thought about how he really did miss the van. It was practically a part of the team in its own way as well. "And we've been performing heists all our lives wi-"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Tabby interrupted, holding her hands up. "Heists? Like…where you steal things? Those kinds of heists?"

"Yea that's the thing," said Murray. "We steal from major criminals, people who got where they are dishonestly or illegally."

After she pieced together the information thrown at her, Tabby nodded. "Kind of like Robin Hood?"

"Well not exactly," Murray replied with another nervous laugh. "We don't really give to the needy, but we don't steal for the money either. We steal 'cause it's fun. And 'cause Sly comes from a line of master thieves, so he's following in his family's footsteps, and as his buddies, we're helping him do that."

Tabby pursed her lips, but she didn't seem angry or disappointed.

They were both silent for an agonizing moment as Murray wondered what she would say next.

As it sunk in, she finally smiled. "That…actually sounds pretty cool."

Murray's eyes widened and his heart dropped. "Really?"

She giggled. "Yeah. I mean, like you said, as long as you're not intentionally breaking the law, there's no harm in it. Besides, you said yourself you're stealing from criminals themselves. That's kind of like righting the wrong, depending on how you look at it." She smiled warmly and shrugged. "Might take some getting used to, but I can handle dating a thief."

This was unbelievable to the hippo. He had not only found a woman who would at least give him the time of day, but she also loved fighting and racing, and was really sweet and pretty too. And an added plus to everything else: she accepted his lifestyle. Murray thought he had to be dreaming up this perfect girl. He smiled. "You're pretty awesome, Tabby. You know that?"

She giggled and pushed her bangs back. "You're not half bad yourself, 'The Murray'."

As they left the restaurant and headed for the truck, Murray remembered what Sly had mentioned to him once about being chivalrous to ladies and ran over to open her door for her.

She smirked in response. "Thank you," she said. She was about to climb in when Murray took her small hands in his. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"I…I had a really great time with you today, Tabby," Murray managed to say.

She smiled. "I did too Murray. You're pretty fun to talk to. And we like practically all the same things."

They both laughed.

"I…just hate that the night's over. You know, since we both had so much fun together," said Murray.

She stared up at him, her icy blue eyes locked on him. "It doesn't have to end just yet; I have another idea how we can have some…fun…" She spoke in a sultry voice, leaning up to touch noses with him.

He grinned. "Yea? What'd you have in mind?"

She chuckled and scrunched her snout as the evening wind rustled her hair. "Let's just say…I want to see how well you can handle yourself with a girl like me…"

The sound of revving engines muted out practically everything else, though there was not much noise in the middle of the night in Taormina. The night was still, and it was as quiet as a mouse.

That mouse was named Penelope, and she happened to be standing in the middle of the road with a flag in her hands.

Tabby looked to her left and saw Murray, gripping the wheel of the red truck he'd hotwired earlier that evening. The owner would have it back later of course; the hippo just wanted to have a little fun with it first.

"You ready for this?" she yelled over the roar of the engines.

"Oh yeah! The Murray is always ready!" he yelled back.

"Remember, don't go easy on me just 'cause I'm a girl," she reminded him, shooting him a stern look.

He grinned impishly. "Tabby…you're so goin' down."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "We'll see about that, The Murray."

"On your mark!" Penelope yelled, though her voice was barely audible over the roaring coming from the two powerful trucks. "Get set!"

The warthog and hippo leaned forward in anticipation, never taking their eyes off the flag as they waited for the start signal.

She waved the flag once and Murray and Tabby swerved around her and zoomed off down the road, racing into the night together, side by side.

A/N: What? Where did you think I was taking that scene?

Hehe, threw you for a loop did I?

Anyways, as I said, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it was the kind of Murray/Tabby material you were hoping for too. Tried to make the situation as realistic as possible.

This took some time, since I had to research boxing terms and car terminology. I confess that I don't exactly know car speak. Just your typical girl here. But I gave it my all! And I did enjoy typing it.

Next chapter, and I mean it this time, things get real. *rubs hands together* See ya!