Good Advice

Carmelita's POV

I hate him.

Stupid raccoon.

He lied to me for two years and thinks I'll forgive him?

When hell freezes over.

There is only one person I can ever trust.

My oldest…no…my only friend…. Ash Otter…local inventor….

I get out of my chair as I look at the room Sly had stayed in until three days ago. Damn Bastard.

SQUEAK.

Dog toy…Sly's dog's toy….

I miss that little Corgi pup….I could live with her…Him…He can rot…

I grab my coat and go down to the abandon night club Dimitre once owned. Ash bought it to make it into her new workshop. I always get my best advice from her.

Carmelita pulled up to the big building. She parked and headed for the large oak doors. She knocked a couple of times. After a few minutes a small otter wearing a white shirt and overalls opened the door. Behind her thick glasses her blue eyes lit up.

"Carmelita….Come on in….Sorry about the wait…this place is huge….You hungry? I got pizza….still hot." She said to Carmelita as they walked up to the huge office above the former dance floor. When they entered Ash motioned for Carmelita to take a seat as she got them two cokes. For a few moments Ash was silent. Then she dropped a bombshell.

"Cooper showed up yesterday…..Carm….he told me about what happened the other night…..He…" she started. Carmelita looked in shock at her friend. She waited. Something was wrong.

Ash took a deep breath. She knew her friends temper, but she also knew how to make her listen.

"He came here to stay one night….I was pissed at what he did to you, but I couldn't let him sleep out in the snow. He slept in the den…..I watched him throw a box into the fire place….after he left I looked at what it was…..wait here." Ash walked over to a closest and pulled out a charred box.

"It survived the fire….do you know what he tried to burn?"

Carmelita shook her head. She took the box and opened it. She gasped.

Inside was what made Sly a master thief. His father's uniform. His most cherished possession.

"But…..why would he try to burn this?" Carmelita asked.

"Carm…..I heard him talking to that little dog of his…..guess he thought he needed to confide in someone….He's hurt bad……He said he wishes you had let him die on Kaine Island that night…said it would have spared you both the pain….Carm……He's in love with you….He wants to make up for everything.."

"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM!" Carmelita shouted.

"HEY, YOU ARE GOING TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME YOU GOT THAT?" Ash Bellowed back. Carmelita shrunk back and sat down quietly. Ash snorted and continued.

"Now Carmelita, I know you think what he did was wrong, but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, he did it so he could prove he loved you? Well, did you?" Carmelita shook her head.

"Now let me say this. You hate your job. Don't even try to deny that being a cop has lost its appeal. Now for these last two years I noticed how happy you were…you were smiling like I have never seen you smile before. Okay so he lied…..so did you…..you said he was your partner….Now seems to be your both guilty of lying to one another….Carm you were soooo happy with him…are you really just gonna let him walk away?" Ash said. She knew how stubborn her dear friend could be.

"Well…I…..he lied….." Carmelita tried to argue. Ash growled.

" That's not a reason to throw him out into the cold….Carm I know you…..You never try to let people in… Sly just wants to make you happy….even if it means he has to lose you to do it….Now, if I were you, I would be trying to find him before some other gal gets a hold on him. He has a broken heart…easy pickings for a lonely girl at a bar…..Now do you really want some hussy taking advantage of him? A sweet, caring and sensitive individual? Let some chick that sees him as some connivance take away the best thing to ever happen to you? Let the one man who sees you as a person and not a piece of meat, just walk out of your life, because you can't forgive him for one stupid lie?" Ash said, knowing that Carmelita would react to her bait. Carmelita thought about what Ash had said. She was right. Sly had made her happy. She felt…loved when he was around. He was a gentleman and always looked her in the eye when he spoke to her, unlike her male coworkers who would stare at her chest. She felt her blood pressure rise at the thought of HER raccoon being taken advantage of by some tramp. She stood up and crushed her soda can. Ash grinned.

"Now that's more like it. Okay, you want me to give you a little tip?" Carmelita nodded.

"Head back to your apartment…..Sly's probably there , packing up his things….Now what you do to get him to stay is your business, but you'd better start hauling some serious ass and get there before he leaves. " Ash said with a grin. Carmelita grinned and hugged her friend.

"Thanks…..you always know how to make me see things clearly."

"Meh….It's a gift. Now get going." Ash ushered her out with a grin.

Carmelita's POV.

I don't know how she does it. She always makes the black and white of the world become a soothing grey. The same grey as my Ringtail.

Oh, he is in for a very…..romantic…. surprise when I get to him.

Carmelita pulled up to her apartment building. Sure enough, just as Ash had said, the light in Sly's bed room was on. She could see him through the window. He looked solemn, broken.

"Not for long…" She thought with a devious grin. She got out of her car and went up to her apartment. She unlocked the door and snuck in quietly, so as to not alert Sly to her presence. She saw Sly's corgi Jewel, asleep on her little pillow. Carmelita grinned and then took off her boots, so that she would not wake the six month old puppy. She then crept slowly over to Sly's room and noticed the door was slightly ajar. She watched as Sly went over to his dresser and began to pull out his pants. Carmelita quietly entered the room and walked up behind him.

Sly realized someone was in the room with him. "It's just Jewel." He thought.

"Go back to sleep Jewels, we'll be leaving soon." He said. Then he felt two arms wrap themselves around his waist. He went rigid went the owner spoke.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Sly whipped around, about to stammer an explanation, only to have Carmelita grab him by the collar and pull him into a deep kiss. It lasted for a while. Then Carmelita pulled away and hugged him. Sly stood there, a bit stunned by what had just happened.

"Uh…..Did I miss something?" he asked after he regained his composure. Carmelita chuckled.

"You told Ash everything…..You ought to know that she, aside from you, is the only one who can make even your harebrained stunts make sense…..I'm sorry for yelling at you like that.." she said softly.

"Why? I'm the one who lied." Sly asked.

"True….but I should have let you explain why you did it, before I drew any conclusions. Please ……stay here…." She whispered. Sly felt a surge of warmth go through him. God the way that girl could talk to him. He grinned and hugged her back tightly.

"Not a problem…..Your friend sure must have worked some magic to get you to forgive me. I'll have to thank her." Carmelita smiled and looked into his eyes. She gently pushed him onto his bed, smiling all the while.

"No…she just gives good advice."