Welcome and thank you for being here. This was originally going to be a one-off but I decided I wanted to go more in-depth with it so it will be a few chapters. I don't want to make them to long or spend to much time on this story but I had the idea for a while and decided to put some effort into making it. Please let me know what you guys think and thanks for reading.

Dusk began to fall over the city of Paris. The shops began to close, people were going home for the night, and Sly was prowling the rooftops. Last week had been a huge success. Not only had he and the gang been able to steal all twelve of the royal jewels in one night, but they also were able to 'help' take down the corrupt museum owner who had originally stolen the jewels in the first place. Each one was worth thousands, and Bentley was able to find a buyer who not only paid well, but also made sure the gems returned to there rightful owners. Yep, it had been a great success, and Sly decided to take the next few weeks off to just have some time for himself.

Well, himself wasn't entirely true. Despite there success, Carmelita had been hot on his tail, and there were more than a few close calls than he liked. She was getting better, and while that wasn't a bad thing necessarily, he knew that it meant he would need to be more careful and prepared from now on. Taking a few weeks off would not only give him time to relax for once, but also give Carmelita a chance to unwind. He knew she needed it, and he also hoped that if she wasn't constantly trying to catch him then she wouldn't be as vigorous or determined in the future.

Sly perched himself atop a high ledge that overlooked a large part of the city. One of the best things about Paris were the lights. He never got bored of seeing the city illuminated, it was really unlike anywhere else in the world. As he sat there, a thought began to nag him. He didn't want to think about it, not yet at least, but he knew it was only a few days away. Maybe tomorrow he would throw on one of his disguises and go shopping in town. Flowers were a must, maybe one of their expensive long-lasting candles to. He shook his head and forced himself to focus on something else. He took in a deep breath before leaping from the ledge and disappearing into the night.

Carmelita left the office with her head hung low and a frown on her face. One again she got chewed out by her boss for failing to catch Cooper. She tried explaining how close she was to getting him this last time, but Barkley didn't want to hear any of it. Barkley would never fire her, but he was forced to put her on a week's suspension. She tried desperately to argue with him about it but his word was final. Carmelita begrudgingly gathered her things and made her way to her car, slamming the trunk down hard after throwing her belonging inside. She climbed into the driver seat and proceeded to pound her head on the steering wheel. She was so sick and tired of this. Whenever she got close, Sly always managed to slip away. There had been so many opportunities, like after ClockWerk's defeat, or even when she had him cuffed in the police helicopter. Every single time he somehow managed to slip away, and it was beginning to drive her insane. Was he just toying with her? Was he trying to make her life hell? She hated him, so much that every time she thought about him it made her want to break something. Why, why, WHY could she never catch him…and why on so many occasions did she let him get away?! It's not like she meant to, but whenever the time came when she actually had him, and could finally lock him up for good, she always seemed to let him slip away.

Whatever. She took a deep breath and started her car. It didn't matter; she was tired and she needed sleep. She backed her car up and drove out of the parking garage and went straight home. She didn't even bother to change when she got home; she just took her shoes off and passed out on her bed. Maybe tomorrow would be better. She could go into town get something to eat, maybe see a movie, just something to get her mind off work and to just relax. As sleep caught a hold of her, a faint smile crept on her face. She needed a break from it all. Maybe this was her chance to finally have some me-time.

Sly strolled into the busy business streets like he owned the place. He wore a simple getup; some nice blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a pair of fresh, white sneakers. The streets were packed with people, both workers and customers. Interns running to coffee shops, important business men on there phones, children running while their parents tried to catch them. Yep, this was Paris, best city on earth. Sly strolled on through the market and took a look at all the good food. He should get the guys something nice, maybe a big steak, or fish! To many choices, to many for a multi-millionaire raccoon who made his living sneaking around in the dark and busting bad guys. He'd come back later, after he got the rest of the things on his list, coffee being the first. For now, Sly just kept on walking, having the rare feeling of being 'normal'.

One of the things Carmelita hated about Paris was the crowds. There were just so many people crammed into such small spaces. Trying to get through the crowds was like trying to get through an ever-changing maze. Finally, after almost knocking a woman to the floor, Carmelita finally found the place she so desperately needed. Blake's coffee was a locally owned store that, in Carmelita's correct opinion, served the best coffee in all of Paris. The lines were worth the wait, and after ordering her normal, which was just straight black, she took a seat by the window and pulled out todays paper. The front story instantly made her blood boil.

Royal jewels stolen by notorious Sly Cooper.

The fuzzy image of a silhouette Raccoon only added insult to injury. She had him RIGHT in her sights, right up until the chandelier had fallen. If she had just been a second sooner she could have tazzed the raccoons ass and finally bring his crime spree to an end. Of course, as always, he managed to get away, giving her some wise-ass flirt before slithering off into the darkness. Oh the things she would do once she caught him! She would made sure he had SCARS to remember what he had put her through. She'd rack his skull so hard he'd have to have surgery just to walk again. AHG it was infuriating…but she needed to just take a breath. Right now she was on suspension and couldn't do anything, end of discussion. For now she just needed to focus on herself and try not to burst a blood vain. She set the paper down and took a sip of her drink, calming down instantly as the warm liquid slinked down her throat. Today was for her, she just needed to try and enjoy it.

Sly tapped his foot while he waited impatiently. He loved the crowds but waiting in line was a nightmare. He knew he should have just gotten some cheap Starbucks. Blake's was good but nothing to die over. He rolled his eyes at seeing the old woman at the counter trying to find enough pennies to pay for her drink. There were still four people in front of him! By the time he was able to order it would be lunch! Another agonizing five minutes went by before Sly finally got to the counter. The boxer behind the desk was friendly and wrote down Sly's order. Café Mocha with two cups of milk and whip cream on top. The total was a whopping $13.47, but Sly was in a spoiling mood. Sly walked off and took a seat by the window, starring out at passerby's and taking no notice to anyone in the store.

"Café Mocha for Steven Copper!"

Carmelita's ears instantly perked up. That had been the name Sly had used when he pretended to be a reporter to get into a museum in Germany two months ago. She looked around the crowded store with eyes wide and looked to see who was getting the drink. Sure enough a Raccoon ended up walking to the counter and grabbing the beverage. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, and at a first glance looked nothing like Sly. Then she noticed his tail and face patterns and she knew instantly it was him. There he was, Sly Cooper, international thief in the same coffee shop as she was. She kept her gazed locked on him the entire time until he tuned toward her direction. Instantly she picked up the paper and held it up to cover her face. Hopefully he hadn't seen her, it would make arresting him so much easier, and more enjoyable. She peered over the brim of the paper and spotted him sitting just three seats from her. His view was strictly pointed out the window, and he obviously hadn't seen her.

Her heart began to race as she thought about what to do. Every fiber in her told her to pin him down and arrest him on the spot, but she knew she couldn't, not legally. She was suspended, and as such was unable to do any police work, including making arrests. Okay, so if she couldn't then she needed to call the police and have them get down here immediately. No, no way in hell was she letting that happen. She had been on Coopers case for to long to let some random rookie take down HER thief. Okay, so she couldn't arrest him and she wasn't going to let someone else do it, so what could she do? Her thoughts were quickly cut short as she watched him get up and make his way out the door. No, she couldn't lose him! She dropped the paper and bolted out the door after him, completely forgetting her coffee back in the shop. Once outside Carmelita saw him walking down the street into town. The best thing she could do was follow him, see where he went, maybe even find out something. She made sure to keep her distance but never took her eyes off him. This was a once in a lifetime chance and she wasn't about to let him slip away this time.

Uhg, they hadn't even added the right milk, let alone nearly enough. Sly threw the half-drunk coffee cup into the trash and moved on. Well his mouth now tasted like garbage so what did he need to do next? Sly thought where the nearest florist was and made his may down the streets of Paris. He kept his mind adrift, thinking about future heists they had plan, things they were going to steal, new flirts he could throw at Carmelita. Anything to keep his mind busy and off what he really was feeling. After a short walk he made it to a small shop on the corner of the street. Paris Floral was a nice little shop, a little spendy but it wasn't like he was striped for cash. He stepped inside the shop and browsed the many bokay's that were on display. He didn't need a whole bunch; half a dozen would do. He liked white, so he settled for a small vase of lilies. He thanked the owner and paid before leaving the store and planning his next stop.

Carmelita had been waiting outside the shop like a hawk waiting for its prey. Her heart skipped a beat when he walked out and she quickly moved behind and away from Sly. She was just feet away from him, and if he turned around now he would definitely notice her. She held her breath waiting for him to turn but instead listened to him mumble to himself.

"Should I get a candle at all?...Nah it's fine, these should be good. I need to make sure Murray puts gas in the van tomorrow…"

Carmelita waited as still as stone and slowly breathed out as Sly walked away. As nerve-racking as that was at least now she knew a bit. Flowers? Candles? Were these things for their next heist? She wasn't sure, but she would be sure to be on the look out for those lilies once she went back to work. She waited until he was a good distance away before following him again. If she kept this up she might even be able to find out where his hideout was! That would make Barkley instantly put her back on as well as sending every Interpol agent in Paris to their hideout. This could turn out to be the best day of her life, just so long as she played it cool.

After returning to the market and grabbing a large steak for dinner, Sly began to make his way back home. There was no way he was going to be able to go along the rooftops, so he was forced to follow the roads that lead toward the outskirts of town. This afternoon had been good, he got the things he needed for the next few days and now he could go home and play some video games with Murray. Speaking of, Sly's phone began to ring. When not on a heist, Sly had a personal flip phone that he would take whenever he wasn't on the job. Holding the vase in one hand and the steak under his armpit, Sly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and saw it was Bentley.

"Hey Bentley, what's up?"

"SLY! You're not going to believe this! The Norwegian Ruby is coming to Paris next week!"

"Wow hey that's great. I'm a couple blocks from home. You can fill me in when I get back."

"No Sly, there's more and I can't wait!"

"Uhg fine, give me a sec."

Sly pulled the falling steak back up into his arm before taking a left down a back alley. The sides of the walls were smooth brick and it ended only after a couple feet in. He set his things down on the side of the wall before getting back to Bentley.

"Alright bud, tell me what's going on."

Carmelita waited a few seconds to debate her options. She was out of the main part of town, and currently there was no one else walking around. Right now she was in a good spot to keep following Sly, and potentially discover his safehouse. However, the temptation to catch him here and now was just too overwhelming. She could say he attacked her, or tried to kidnap her, people would buy it. She could say it was self-defense, call up Barkley after kicking that raccoons' ass and say he jumped her and that she fought him off. A part of her knew it wasn't the smart thing to do but she had waited to long to pass up this opportunity. This was it, she had him now. He had no cane, no tricks, no way of escape. She really hoped he didn't just give up, that would sap all the joy out of her arrest. She wanted to have a good fight, show him how much stronger and capable she was then him. This was it, time to catch Cooper once and for all.

"…and if we can get in right after it leaves the airport we can get it to the buyers that'll give is ten-times what anyone else is offering. It's a goldmine!"

"Alright alight, you got me hooked. Keep monitoring the flight and tell Murray to get the tow cable ready. We'll need to act fast, but I think we can do it. Alright I see you guys in a bit."

Sly closed the phone and stood for a minute with a huge grin on his face. This heist was going to be big and beautiful, and a good slap in the face to the greedy prime minister. Sly was going to need to make sure his paraglide was ready, but aside from that he was golden. There'd be a lot more to discuss in a bit, but right now the steak was beginning to thaw and he needed to get home. Sly turned around to exit the ally but was stopped by a surprising, yet all to familiar, Inspector Carmelita Fox.

"Hello Ringtail."