//------------------------------//
// Desperate Measures 
// Story: Dressed to Steal 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	The next few months were...unpleasant overall.  I get that whatever Mozzie said was important, but whatever it was really upset Mom and Dad.  They were still the same with me when it was just one of them, and Dad was the same with Uncle Bentley and Uncle Murray...but with each other, it was like they were just going through the motions.  Dad flirted, Mom sniped back.  Dad went in for a theft, Mom chased him.  Dad passed something at the dinner table when we had dinner as a family, Mom accepted in silence.  It was driving me up the wall to the point I thought I was going to scream.

I tried to confront Mom about it once, since I had a hard time getting Dad alone.  Getting Mom alone was easy, though.  After all, she had to escort me for magic lessons...





Coco sat with her hind legs as crossed as she could get them, doing her best to meditate as Ms. Ruby was instructing her to.  "Now breathe deep, child," Ms. Ruby instructed.  "Feel the flows of magic as they come to you.  Feel the power in the world around you.  Feel the power inside you.  Feel it spread, feel it contract...feel it claim the world around you.  Now...take hold of it."

Coco furrowed her brow as she concentrated, trying to grasp all the power she could feel.

"Naw, naw, you're tryin' too hard, child," Ms. Ruby chided gently.  "Relax and let it come to you.  Bring it in with your breath, let it settle as you exhale."

Coco relaxed her body, taking the deep breath as she focused on gaining control of her magic.  She smiled as she felt it slowly collapsing into her body.

"Now, picture something small in your mind," Ms. Ruby instructed softly.  "Try and fit all that magic you can feel into that small thing."  As she saw Coco's brow start to furrow, she chuckled.  "You can start with a larger version, and then work it smaller."

Nodding, Coco selected the image of one of her sewing needles, deciding to start by fitting all her magic into the shaft of the needle, and for later stages fitting it into the shape of the eye, and then the eye itself.  By the end of the hour, she'd managed to fit the magic into the overall shape of the needle, though had not yet gotten it fully contained.

"Times up," one of the guards spoke up.

Ms. Ruby smiled softly.  "You're doing fine, child.  It's only your fifth hour long session.  It took me weeks of continuous training to get as far as you have."

Coco blushed in embarrassment.  "I had a good teacher, Mz. Ruby-"

"Ah ah, it's Ms. now," Ms. Ruby corrected.

"...why is that?" Coco asked curiously.

Ms. Ruby smiled, blushing slightly.  "Well, I been talking with Muggshot at mealtimes," she explained softly.  "He's such a sweet pup once you get past his tough exterior.  I...felt Ms. might be better for a while than Mz. ..."

Coco grinned widely.  "At least until once you're both out, it's Mrs?" she asked impishly.

Ms. Ruby blushed brightly, grabbing a fan from her wall and waving it at Coco, playfully shooing her out.  Coco giggled as she playfully fled, the bars of the - admittedly comfortable - cell closing behind her.

It wasn't long after that before Coco was in the sidecar of Carmelita's motorcycle, heading for her apartment to wait till Sly could pick her up.  As they rode, Coco decided to take her opportunity to try and get answers out of her mother.  "Mom?"

"What is it, Coco?" Carmelita asked distractedly.

"Why are you cold to Dad recently?" she asked worriedly.  "I thought therapy was supposed to fix things."

Carmelita was silent for a time.  "Therapy isn't about fixing problems," she replied finally.  "Especially not family or couples therapy.  It's about determining what the problems are, and whether they can - or should - be fixed."

Coco blinked for a time.  "Okay.  And...?"

"Your father and I have a problem that needs fixing," she stated flatly.  "And we don't want you caught up in it, so we've agreed not to discuss it with or in front of you."

"But-"

"And we're sticking with that," Carmelita insisted.  "And don't think you're going to get more out of me than that.  I'm the one that taught you interrogation."

Coco crossed her forelegs and pouted.

"That won't work either."





Yeah, trying to press for answers didn't go well.  Still, from what I could tell, one particular theft somehow made things somewhat better.  We were there to steal the Venus De Whalo from a forger by the name of Dimitri Lousteau, at a party that Mom was running security for.  My job was 'exit strategy', making sure we had at least three different getaway plans and that whichever one we wound up using was the only one that would show any sign we'd actually used it, and even that not enough to follow us.  We wound up taking a boat...and I think something happened between Mom and Dad before Dad jumped onto the boat...





Sly and Carmelita stared at each other across the bridge, Carmelita with her stun pistol leveled, Sly with his cane in his hand.  Both knew they were at yet another point where things could go either way, where Coco's future - and their own relationship - hung in the balance, and one wrong decision from either of them could doom both.  Seconds ticked by as they locked eyes.

Carmelita lowered her stun pistol.  "I...I can't keep doing this," she murmured softly.  "I can't..."

"Carmelita," Sly whispered softly, starting to step forward.

"Don't," Carmelita insisted, lifting the pistol again.  "I...I have to do my job.  I...I have to take you in.  But...I can't do that to Coco..."

Sly stepped back, lowering his head.  "But...what other option is there?"

Carmelita thought frantically.  "You could become a CI!" she offered hopefully.  "A criminal informant.  You're practically that already, since when I chase you I catch bigger crooks."

"But if I were an official CI, I'd have to have registered contact information," Sly countered sadly.  "Which Seft might find."

Carmelita's gaze lowered.  "But...I...I can't stop being a cop."

"And I can't stop being a criminal," Sly confirmed.  A thoughtful look crossed his face, and he suddenly snapped his fingers.  "Anonymous tips!"

"Hmm?" Carmelita responded, confused.

"Any time we're going after a big criminal, Bentley will see to it you get an anonymous electronic tip about that criminal's activities,and make sure you know it's from us while hiding any trail Seft could follow," Sly explained.  "That will be enough to justify you looking around there, and seeing me there will let you chase me and uncover the evidence you need to take that criminal down, and our own actions will be limited because you'll be there waiting for us to start something."

Carmelita turned that over in her mind for a time...then smiled.  "That could work," she allowed with relief as she steadied her grip on her stun pistol.  "Of course, that assumes you can get away from me each time."

Sly grinned as he leaned back against the edge of the bridge.  "Admit it, Carmelita.  The chase is half the fun."  With that, he tipped over the edge.





Pretty sure I'm not the only one who let out a yelp of surprise when Sly pulled that.  He was literally inches away from missing the boat, and the Cooper Water Safety techniques only work if you land feet first.  Still, whatever they talked about up on the bridge did them both some good.  Both Mom and Dad had huge grins on their faces as we sailed away.