"The Vixen" 
Author: Robert Brown 

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sucker 
            Punch, Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created 
            and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use 
            them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be 
            downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no 
            changes to the story are made without my express written(not 
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            considered a violation of copyright law. 

Quick Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on chapters guys.  I caught a very
nasty virus that had me bedridden for a week.  I'm just now getting my full
strength back, so hopefully I can get back to posting a chapter every week or
two.

Chapter 4: Once is coincidence, twice is design

	Sly lay quietly in his bed, deep in thought as he stared at the white 
calling card in his hand.  It was a situation he found himself in a lot over
these past two weeks since the failed museum robbery.  As much as he tried to
avoid it, he couldn't stop thinking about this mysterious Vixen.  Well, that
wasn't exactly true.  When he wasn't thinking about the Vixen, he was thinking
about the ever lovely Carmelita.
	Sly sighed and rolled over onto his stomach.  The Vixen was an enigma to
him, and he couldn't be sure if his attraction to her went beyond the physical
and the allure of the unknown.  Either way, he had to discover just how she'd
learned some of his family's techniques.  The Ninja Spire Jump and the Rail
Slide/Rail Walk techniques could be learned by anyone with enough agility who
watched him in action long enough, as she'd indicated she had.  But the 
Exploding Hat Technique and the Smoke Bomb Escape?  Those were specialty to 
his family line, and no amount of study could replicate them.
	A snarl escaped Sly's lips as he tossed the Vixen's calling card onto 
his dresser and kipped up to his feet.  All this thinking was giving him a 
headache.  He needed a night of good action to clear his mind.  Hopefully
Bentley would have something planned for him to steal tonight.  If not, then
he just might have to go out on the prowl solo.
	As soon as he left his room, Sly could hear two voices yelling loudly
at each other.  He immediately identified the voices as Bentley and Murray, 
but he was too far away to determine exactly what it was they were yelling
about.  Whatever it was, it couldn't be that good.  Neither Bentley nor Murray
were quick to anger, and to have them both angry at the same time meant that 
it was something serious.  Sly sprinted down the stairs and quickly got in 
between his two friends.  "Whoa whoa!"  he said, wheeling Bentley's chair back
a little so that he could keep them both at arms' length.  "Would someone mind
telling me exactly what this is all about?"
	Bentley continued his staring contest with Murray until Sly moved so 
that the gaze was broken.  "Nothing for you to worry about Sly," he said 
sullenly.  "Just a slight difference of opinion as to what's best for this 
gang.  Murray here doesn't think I'm ready to rejoin the field work, and I'm 
positive I am."
	If Sly had been looking at Murray at that moment, he would've seen shock
and surprise cross the hippo's face.  But by the time Sly turned to look, 
Murray had forced his face to return to its normal, ever-so-slightly dopey 
look.  "Now hold on a minute, Little Buddy," Murray said, "don't you think 
you're rushing it just a bit?  I mean, if something goes wrong you could end 
up in a worse condition than you are now."
	"You might be right, but the heist I've planned has to go down tonight,
and Sly will need both of us to pull it off.  There's just no other way to do
this."
	"Hey Bentley, if you're really not ready," Sly began, but Bentley waved 
him off with a glare.  "OK, OK," Sly said instead, "if you really feel you're 
up to it, I won't try and hold you back.  But you have to promise me to call 
it off if you find out you're not up to it.
	"I can't do that Sly," Bentley protested.  "What if you're caught in a 
compromising position?  I can't and won't abandon you."
	Sly smiled, thoroughly touched by his friend's loyalty.  "Believe me,"
he said, putting his hand on Bentley's shoulder, "I understand how you feel.
But it's because I understand that I don't want you putting yourself in any
danger over me.  I'll be able to find my way out of almost any situation.  
That's what I do."
	Bentley held Sly's gaze for a moment before sighing and looking away.
"All right, you win," he said reluctantly.  "But it's up to me just when I
can or cannot handle it."
	"Sure thing Bentley," Sly agreed, way too easily if Bentley thought 
about it.  But Bentley just concerned himself with readying themselves for
tonight's heist.  As soon as Bentley's back was turned, Sly backed up next 
to Murray.  "If he tries to do too much," he whispered to his large and 
powerful friend, "you know what to do."
	Murray nodded, rubbing his hands together.  "On it Sly.  You can count
on me."
	Time seemed to pass quickly that night and it was midnight before Sly
and his friends were in position at a nearby port on the Seine.  Sly was 
perched on a tall building, scanning the area below with his binoc-u-com.  
"You're right Bentley," he whispered, "there's way too much security here for
this to be an ordinary late night shipment."
	"Disregarding the fact that I'm never wrong," Bentley said wryly, "I
just knew that no reputable businessman would come to this port at this time
of night.  This unassuming little dinghy is registered to one Duarte Agosto 
Campíon, one of Brazil's most notorious smugglers.  He's travelled all over 
Central and South America, looting all the old Mayan and Incan treasures that 
he somehow has a knack for finding, especially if they happen to be in 
someone's collection already."
	"And now he's looking to fence them in my backyard?  I don't think so.
So, what does this guy look like?  I want to make sure to pay him a visit."
	"No one really knows for sure.  All they know is that he's pretty huge, 
at least as tall as Murray and by all accounts wider, and that's saying 
something."
	"Hey," Murray interjected over his own binoc-u-com, "'The Murray' is 
simply very big boned.  All the easier to Thunderflop the villains with."
	Sly nodded to himself, getting caught up in the excitement of the job.
Though he didn't consciously realize it, this was the first time in two weeks
that his thoughts weren't consumed with either Carmelita or the Vixen.  "All
right guys," he said, "let's stick to the--what in the...?!"
	"Sly?"  Bentley asked, sounding a bit worried and looking the same way
through the small picture on the binoc-u-com's screen.  "What's wrong?  What's
going on?"
	Sly focused the binoc-u-com on what appeared to be no more than an ice
blue dot off in the distance and zoomed in on it.  "What is she doing here?"
Sly wondered as the dot assumed the familiar form of the Vixen.  "She's going
to ruin everything."
	Bentley was silent a moment and Sly just knew that he was figuring out a
way to salvage the operation.  "Sly, you have to get over there and take her 
out of the equation in some way."
	Whatever Sly was going to say never made it out of his mouth as he saw
the Vixen leap from her hiding spot and knock out a gun-toting guard from 
behind by uppercutting him into the air with her cane and slamming him down on
the ground.  "Change of plans Bentley," Sly muttered.  "You and Murray fall 
back to the van.  I have to stop her from getting herself killed."  He saw 
Bentley open his mouth to argue so he shut of the binoc-u-com and stashed it 
away.
	Sly leapt from the roof of the building to a nearby clothesline.  He 
kept his eyes on her the whole time he approached her, grudgingly appreciative
of how she took down the various reptilian guards with ease.  But as he paused
on the roof above her, he could've sworn he saw the air behind her shimmer 
slightly.  "Look out!"  he called as a lizard appeared out of nowhere, his 
spear raised and ready to strike.
	The Vixen whirled around, ramming the tip of her cane into the gut of 
the lizard, forcing him into the river.  "Fichu chameleons," she muttered 
under her breath, swiping her cane through the air to aceentuate her 
frustration.  She raised the tip of her cane in salute to Sly before running 
off toward the boat.  She'd only gotten a couple steps when Sly jumped down in
front of her, blocking her way.  "Is there something I can help you with?"  
she asked, smirking ever so slightly at him.
	"You can tell me what you were thinking," Sly hissed in a fierce 
whisper.  "From everything I've heard, this guy is no one you want to mess 
with, especially on your own.  Get out of here before you get caught."
	From how her mask moved, Sly could tell that her eyebrows had narrowed 
in anger.  "Who do you think you are telling me what to do?"  she demanded, 
poking him in the chest with the butt of her cane.  "I thought I showed I 
could more than keep up with you back at the museum."
	"That was in the museum," Sly shot back, shoving her cane away with his.
"This is the real world, and the criminals here won't think twice about 
killing you in many painful ways.  So get out of here before you get hurt."
	"I'm so touched that you care," she said, "but I am a big girl if you 
hadn't noticed.  I can take care of myself."
	"That won't be necessary," a rumbling voice with a heavy Portuguese 
accent said from a nearby alleyway, making them both whirl around with their 
canes raised.  "I can promise that I will see you both taken care of."
	Sly's mouth gaped open slightly at the large figure that advanced out
of the shadows.  Large didn't even begin to describe him.  He would've towered
over Murray and his face looked like some odd cross between a guinea pig and a
hippo.  Thick, shaggy fur covered his entire pudgy body and all he wore was a 
pair of construction boots.  "Now that is one ugly rat," the Vixen said in an
undertone, and Sly could only agree with her assessment.
	The rodent before them punched a wall hard enough to crumble some 
bricks.  "Duarte Agosto Campíon is not a rat!"  he said through clenched 
teeth.  "I am the finest capybara to ever come out of Sao Paolo, Brasil!"
	"Any idea what a capybara is?"  Sly asked, glancing at the Vixen out of
the corner of his eye.
	"Yeah, an overgrown rat," she growled, the muscles in her arms and legs
tensing while her tail stuck out straight behind her, the fur on it standing 
on end.
	Duarte's grey eyes were as cold and hard as stone as he glared at them.
"You shall pay for your impertinence.  Kill them."
	Sly whirled around as he heard a number of...somethings hit the ground
all around them, placing his back against the Vixen's.  "It's those 
chameleons again," he hissed, peering around for the telltale shimmer that 
would give away their location.  But no sooner had he found one that all the 
lights in the immediate area shut off, making it impossible to see more than 
a couple feet.  "Just perfect," he muttered before being dropped to his knees 
by what felt like a knee to his gut.
	"Pull it together Ringtail," the Vixen snarled, hauling Sly back to his
feet.  "You should be able to take these guys out blindfolded so being blinded
by the darkness is no difference."
	Sly's eyes narrowed before a thought occurred to him.  "They may be 
invisible, but they're not quiet," he whispered, putting up his cane to stop 
an attack that he'd heard coming.
	"Good thinking," the Vixen said with a smile.  "Follow my lead."  She 
spun her cane around above her head and swiped it at the air in front of her.
But though the strike didn't land, they could both hear the chameleon leaping
back to land about five feet away.
	Sly made a few half-hearted swipes in front of him, more to keep the 
ones in front of him honest than anything else.  But when the Vixen made 
another strike that missed, he sprang into action.  He sprinted in the 
direction that she'd swung, cane leading the way.  No sooner had that still
invisible chameleon landed than he found Sly's cane buried in his gut.  The
force of the strike literally knocked the chameleon back into being visible.
With that ever-present Cooper smirk, he popped his hips and sent the chameleon
flying over both himself and the Vixen to land in a heap on the ground.  
Suddenly visible were the two chameleon that the thrown one had landed one; 
now all three were unconscious.
	Sly took a moment to congratulate himself and had to suddenly duck as
the Vixen launched herself over him to take out a chameleon that had been 
sneaking up on him.  "Celebrate after we're done," she scolded, moving so that
she was back-to-back with him again.  
	Sly forced himself to focus on the task at hand and soon there were ten
chameleons on the ground unconscious or nearly so.  "Where's the fat rat?"  he
asked, looking around for the absent Duarte.
	"He must've gone back to the ship," the Vixen said, moving cautiously 
toward the ship with Sly right beside her.  "Think he'll have more guards with
him?"
	"I can't think he'd be stupid enough to risk his entire force at once," 
Sly pointed out.  "But then, I've seen it more than once."
	The Vixen nodded sharply, the corner of her lips twitching slightly.  
"So tell me Cooper," she said as they walked up the gangway, "what was going 
on back there?  I know you're not normally that sloppy."
	"Yeah well, normally I don't have to worry about anyone but myself.  And
it's been a while since I've been in a fight like that.  I'm allowed to have a
little rust."
	"Not if you want to stay alive you don't.  Maybe you should leave the 
jobs like this to the big girls."
	Sly grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, his jaw set in 
anger.  "Now look, I've been doing jobs like this before you even thought 
about putting that costume of yours on.  You came here without backup of any
kind and wrecked the plans my team worked on with your recklessness.  Don't 
you even begin to think that you're better than me just because you got lucky 
once."
	"I'd rather be lucky than good," the Vixen started to say, but she got 
grabbed from behind and thrown into the wall of the ship's cabin before she 
could finish.  
	"While I hate to interrupt this lovers' quarrel," Duarte said, reaching 
out to grab Sly by the throat and missing, "I insist that you both leave my
ship immediately and by the most watery way possible."
	Sly spared a glance at the Vixen, returning his attention to Duarte as
soon as he saw her moving and apparently uninjured.  He leapt forward, 
swinging his cane overhead, but Duarte blocked the strike with one meaty 
forearm.  Before Sly even landed he found himself trapped in Duarte's arms, 
the air being squeezed out of him.  
	"Let him go!"  the Vixen yelled, tapping her cane against the ground,
making the platinum hook crackle with electricity.  She ran forward, jamming
it into the back of Duarte's neck.  The capybara dropped Sly and swung behind
him with a roar of pain, but the Vixen wasn't even in reach at this time.  
"You all right Ringtail?"  she called, trying to circle around to him.
	But Duarte was having none of that, making sure to keep himself between
Sly and the Vixen so that they couldn't get their act together.  "I will crush
your insignificant bodies between my own two hands," he swore, rushing at the
Vixen, trying to pin her against the wall.
	The Vixen was too quick for that and easily dodged out of the way.  But
she didn't dodge far enough and found herself sent flying by a hard backhand.
She fell in a heap near Sly, but soon struggled back to her feet.  "Any ideas
Cooper?"  she asked, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth
with the back of her glove.
	"Just one," he said, jumping up and seating himself on her shoulder.  
A startled cry uttered from her mouth, along with a few French invectives, but
she was able to support his weight.  He lowered his cane so that she could see
the tip of it glowing orange with stored energy.  "Catching on?"  he asked, 
raising his cane back up to hold it at the ready.
	"I love the way you think," she said, holding her cane up similar to how
Sly was holding his as yellow energy gathered at the tip.  As Duarte rushed 
them, she spun around, holding her cane parallel to the ground just as she 
knew Sly was doing.  The double Spin Attack caught Duarte in the knees and the 
throat, sending the overlarge rodent reeling.
	Sly hopped down before he could recover, tapping his cane against the 
ground to build up an electric charge in the hook much as the Vixen had to 
save him earlier.  The Vixen mirrored his actions and on an unspoken command
they both leapt forward, thrusting their canes into Duarte's chest.
	Duarte tried to scream his pain, but the electricity coursing through 
his body had temporarily paralyzed his vocal cards along with most of the 
other muscles in his body.  When the attacked ended, he pitched forward onto
his face with a groan, his eyes rolled so far in back of his head that the 
irises could hardly be seem.
	The Vixen prodded the still body with her cane, letting out the breath 
she was holding only when he didn't stir.  "Well, that wasn't too bad," she 
said, tucking some platinum blonde ringlets of hair that had gotten knocked 
loose in the fight back under her mask.
	Sly just shook his head.  "If that wasn't too bad, I'd hate to see what
you consider bad," he quipped as he found some rope and hogtied Duarte to make
sure he didn't get away.  "Come on, we've got some stolen artifacts to find."
	It turned out to be easy to find Duarte's cache of artifacts.  Because 
the dinghy was so small, there were only a limited number of places it could
be, and the first place they checked was the correct one.  "Hey Bentley," he
said, pulling out his binoc-u-com and using it to scan the treasure hold, "can
you point out to me which of these actually belong to someone?"
	"I could," Bentley said slowly, "but I don't know why I should.  I 
thought you aborted this mission.  So what's the big deal?"
	"Hey, that was the plan," Sly protested.  "It's not my fault our 
uninvited guest is such a stubborn little--"
	"A stubborn little what?"  the Vixen inquired archly.  "And just who are
you talking to?"
	"I was going to say 'a stubborn little lady,'" Sly said dryly, "but you 
are making me reconsider my choice of words.  As for who I'm talking to, you
should know if you've watched me as much as you say you have."
	The Vixen's indigo-painted lips pressed together in a hard, thin line.
"I thought the game was for you to find out about me, not the other way 
around," she said in a quiet voice that held an edge of danger to it.
	"Thieves don't always play by the rules," Sly reminded her as he saw 
red and green holomarkers pop up in his binoc-u-com's viewer.  "But I think we
can play your game at least a little while longer.  Now then Bentley," he 
continued, speaking to his friend now, "is it safe to assume the green ones 
are unclaimed?"
	"That would be correct Sly," Bentley agreed.  "Duarte could've made a 
fortune off of those artifacts alone.  But because he doesn't exactly want to
pay taxes, he wasn't going to let any government know he had them.  They're
safe to take."
	Sly methodically separated the artifacts into two separate piles, one
claimed and one unclaimed.  "Feel free to take your pick from this pile," he
said to the Vixen, indicating the pile on the right, "but only from that pile
and only one."
	"I have no interest in choosing something that was pre-owned," she 
muttered, sifting through the pile with her cane.  She reached down to take an
inscribed gold ring, but it was gone before she could take it.  "Hey!"
	Sly just smirked at her as he pocketed the ring.  "Did I forget to 
mention I have first choice?"  he asked innocently.
	The Vixen's expression remained calm, but he could just tell she was
seething inside.  She snatched up an amulet at random and stormed outside,
leaving Sly to follow her after dropping her calling card beside his.  "That
wasn't very nice," she said when she could hear him walking behind her.
	"Sorry about that, but this ring is already destined for one vixen's 
finger, and I'm sorry to say that it's not yours."
	The Vixen whirled around so suddenly that Sly thought for sure she was
going to strike at him but she did no such thing.  "Carmelita Fox I assume?"
she asked in a growl, gripping the railing of the gangway tightly.  "I swear,
I don't see what the attraction is for you."
	Sly couldn't help but chuckle at that.  "Don't worry, my friends can't
either.  But what can I do?  I mean, I'm drawn to her like nothing I've ever
felt before.  And I'm pretty sure she feels the same way.  I just have to 
convince her that she does."
	The Vixen couldn't help but laugh at that.  "You truly are one of a 
kind Sly Cooper," she said, lightly tickling the underside of his chin with 
her finger.  "But you know, a girl could get kinda jealous, what with all I'm
doing to get your attention and here you are talking about another woman.
Especially since I need no convincing."
	Sly tried to chuckle, but couldn't deny that he felt like a deer in the
headlights.  Now that he wasn't concerned about his safety nor hers, he found
himself remembering the single kiss that they'd shared, and yearning for a 
repeat performance.  "Well, you certainly have my attention now," he whispered
softly, standing up on his tiptoes and leaning toward her.  The Vixen let her
hand trail around to the back of Sly's neck as she tilted her head for another
kiss, but their moment was interrupted by the wailing of police sirens.
	The Vixen snarled quite loudly at the sound.  "This is becoming a 
habit," she growled, turning around to face the oncoming police cars.  Sly saw
her grip on her cane tighten as she saw the police cars being led by a 
familiar red convertible.  "She is always butting in on our time together.  
Maybe I'll have to have a little 'talk' with her."
	"Now hold on a minute," he said, ignoring the police cars.  "You're not
going to do anything to her."
	The Vixen turned her head just slightly to look at him.  "You're right, 
I won't.  Tonight anyway because I don't want to ruin the night.  But if she 
interrupts us again, and there will be an 'again,' I refuse to be held 
responsible."
	"Freeze you two!"  Carmelita yelled as she stopped her car about one
hundred feet away.  It was too far to see her face clearly, but there was no
way Sly would ever mistake that voice and her hair for anyone else.  "I'm 
busting you both down to Interpol right now, so no funny business."
	Sly just sighed, he'd heard this many times before.  "Now Carmelita," he
said, taking a few slow steps toward her, "you really might want to reconsider
that.  I mean, I've just left a lovely present for you all gift-wrapped 
inside.  And it's horrible etiquette to arrest someone who is giving you a 
gift."
	"I don't take presents from criminals," Carmelita said, firing a shock
bolt at his feet to back him up.  
	"Then would would you call it when I presented you with all those 
criminals for you to arrest in the past couple years?"
	"Doing my job," Carmelita answered simply.  "And I'll be more than happy
to do that to you as well."
	The banter was cut off by the Vixen stepping in front of Sly.  "Sorry,"
she said, her voice hard as steel, "but if he's going anywhere he'll be going
there with me."
	"Now ladies," Sly said calmly, trying to be the peacemaker, "there's 
plenty of me to go around."
	All was silent for a heartbeat, then all hell broke loose.  The Vixen 
spun around and struck Sly flush in the back with her cane, sending him 
airborne.  At the same moment, Carmelita shot him with her shock pistol, 
sending him flying a few blocks to tumble bonelessly down a street.  "Well, at
least I'm out of there," he said, picking himself up off the ground.
	After regaining full control of his body, he found that he'd landed very
near to where the van was stashed.  "Let's roll," he yelled as he jumped into
the back of the van.  
	Murray sped off as soon as Sly gave the word, racing off into the night.
"OK Sly," he said, keeping his eyes on the road, "spill it, what happened back
there?"
	"You'll find out soon enough Murray," Sly promised.  "For now, I have to
drop by Interpol to leave this lovely ring on...."  Sly groaned in frustration
and anger when all he found in his pocket was the amulet that he'd thought the
Vixen had taken.  "She switched on me again!"
	Bentley regarded Sly calmly while he continued to rant and rave.  "You 
know Sly," he said when his friend had to stop for air, "she's only doing this
to get a rise out of you."
	"Yeah well it's working," Sly said heatedly, looking for all the world 
like he wanted to punch something.  "And I don't like it at all."
	"And just how is this different from what you do to Carmelita?"  Bentley
asked in a controlled, almost monotone voice.
	Sly had to take a moment to think about that answer.  "When I do it, 
it's cute," he said.  "For her, it was at first, but now it's quickly getting
annoying.
	"But if she wants to be annoying," he continued, the smirk returning to
his face as a positively devilish idea occurred to him, "we can do that.  
Maybe it's time for her to play my game instead of the other way around."

TO BE CONTINUED