For Zack, stepping out of bed on this Christmas morning was like stepping straight out of his
grave. The thought of leaving the warmth of those soft flannel sheets made him want turn over and sleep
some more. Though, he leapt out of bed once it dawned on him that he was in Carmen Sandiego's guest
room. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he squinted to read "ten-thirty" on a grandfather clock in the
corner. It had been around one or two in the morning when they got back to Carmen's house. Fortunately,
her majesty the Queen of Crime hadn't noticed them. Of course, then they had to find a way to get into the
house without being caught. Leave it to Ivy to make him climb a frozen rose at two am to get to the second
floor. Zack's back ached horribly from that little adventure. "I'm…ouch…gonna….ouch…get Ivy…...for ….
yeow….this," he moaned as he stumbled out into the hallway.
He spotted Ivy coming out of the bathroom. "G'morning, Sis," he sneered.
"What, I don't even get a "Merry Christmas"? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Scrooge?"
"Bah humbug, Ivy." Zack plodded around aimlessly on the hardwood floor. He sniffed and caught the
smell of fresh brewed coffee in the air. "Java…." he mumbled.
Ivy smelled it, too, and frowned. "Carmen must be awake," she thought with a grimace. The thought
of facing her enemy on Christmas morning was hardly appealing. And what if Carmen knew they had followed
her last night? Ivy didn't even want to imagine how she would react and she certainly was not going to tell
her about it. They'd just have to come up with a plan…..
"Hey, Ive. You think Carmen would make me pancakes?" Zack was staring longingly at the stairs with his
hand on his stomach.
"Oh yeah, Zack, I am so sure she would. I'm so sure that she's got that written in her day planner
right between 'Break into the New York Stock Exchange' and 'Steal the Washington Monument'. Besides, can't you
ever think with your brain instead of your stomach!"
"Ok, ok, no pancakes. Sheesh, sis, gimme a break." Ivy's frustration was pretty obvious, and had been
pretty obvious since she heard Carmen and the Chief's conversation the night before. Zack figured that she was
still feeling guilt…or confusion…or some other emotion about last night.
"Zack, how are we going to get out of here?"
"Uh….well, I figured we'd go downstairs, thank Carmen, eat some breakfast…" Zack winced as his sister gave
him a dirty look. "And then we get the car out of the ditch and make a beeline to Grandma's."
"Sounds like a good plan to me, little bro. But let me tell you this right now," Ivy moved in close, "We
are not under any circumstances letting Carmen know we followed her last night. She doesn't need to know and I
don't feel like telling her. I just want to get into the car and leave this place. This whole situation is too weird."
"Well okay, Ive. Mum's the word." Zack started down the stairs briskly. Ivy followed, her heels dragging
behind her.
*************************************************************************************
"Mmmmmmmmm," Carmen murmured after taking a sip of rich coffee. Tea was fine for relaxation, but nothing ever managed
to beat a fine cup French Vanilla Roast in the morning. Looking through the large picture window across from the breakfast
table, Carmen was delighted to see her front yard covered with snow. For the first time, her Christmas morning actually
looked like the world's prepackaged image of it. There was a decorated evergreen in the living room, snow on the ground,
and cookies on the table. "Though," she thought to herself, "I'm obviously missing the joyful children tearing open presents
and the handsome husband putting another log on the fire…..or whatever they're supposed to do on Christmas morning." She gave
a mental shrug.
Well, she never wanted a Hallmark card life anyway.
And why should she? After talking to the Chief last night…..more like laughing with the Chief last night, she felt more
content and happy than she had in a long time. Her plan had worked. She hadn't been able to undo any past deeds or right any
past wrongs with a few simple gifts, but she had managed to tell the people in her life who were important to her that she cared
about them. Carmen hated to admit it, but she had been in a "creative slump" during the past few weeks. For some reason, last
night seemed to fix all that….already the makings of a new caper were started to form in her mind. She couldn't wait to get
back on the job again…….
Zack and Ivy lethargically came into the kitchen to find Carmen daydreaming out the window. She was dressed in a bathrobe…
..a red one, of course. Just then she turned to face them. "Good morning, Ivy, Zack. Merry Christmas."
"'Morning Carmen, Merry Christmas," both said simultaneously. The duo plopped themselves down opposite Carmen.
"Can I get you anything to eat?"
Ivy shot Zack a death glare from across the table.
"Um, just some orange juice," Zack spoke meekly.
"Ivy?"
"No thanks, I don't want anything."
Carmen raised an eyebrow. Now, she knew for a fact that Zack and Ivy had healthy appetites….she'd observed that on more
than one occasion. "Are you sure? You must be starving."
"We really need to be going Carmen. That's all."
"Certainly, Ivy." Carmen gracefully poured a glass of orange juice for Zack. "The roads are clear now and I called a towing
service to get your car out of the ditch. It's in the garage."
"Thanks again, Carmen," Zack said and took a sip of juice.
"You're welcome." Dead silence filled the room. The detectives were avoiding her…why? They were fine last night. *Time to
liven up the conversation* Carmen thought. "So, are you looking forward to spending Christmas with your family?"
"Yeah, I guess so. They're nice people," Ivy spoke, still giving Carmen the cold shoulder. What business was it of Carmen's
what her family was like?
"I just hope Aunt Judy's fruitcake is long gone by the time we get there….."
A smile crossed Ivy's lips. "You can always feed it to the dog like you did when you were seven, little bro."
Carmen raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Really, Zack?"
"Hey! Don't start with the embarrassing family stories, Ive. 'Cause I could tell Carmen more than a few things about you……"
Zack warned.
Ivy put on her best poker face and replied, "Like what? Take your best shot."
"Let's see, there was the Christmas Eve you beat up cousin Michael because he wouldn't let you play with the Nintendo. Mind
you, Carmen, Ivy was ten at the time and Michael was fourteen….."
"He said I couldn't play because I was a girl! I showed him, the little chauvinist. "
"She gave him a black eye and kicked him in the stomach." Zack could see Carmen trying to hide her laughter behind her coffee
mug. "The funniest thing was, my mom had her dressed up in this little fru-fru black and white party dress and patent leather shoes.
Oh, Carmen, you should have seen her, especially the pigtails she used to have….."
"Pigtails?" Carmen asked, a large grin on her face.
"I was ten. It was the eighties." As if going for the Punky Brewster look explained everything…..
"And then you had to go sit in the corner until you could learn how to behave like "a little lady". A little lady!" Zack
collapsed into a fit of laughter.
Ivy gave him a swift kick under the table.
"Geez, sis, you can never take a little teasing, can you?"
Carmen looked at the pair, merriment in her eyes. Their family stories never failed to make her laugh. Suddenly, she felt a
pang of sadness. Family….brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents….she had never known this. Never known the feelings
of togetherness, the little quarrels, the laughter, the love. Zack and Ivy were so lucky to have this. Family….the one thing that she
didn't have and couldn't steal. Maybe the Hallmark card life wasn't so bad after all…..
Ivy looked up and saw the sad expression on Carmen's face and realized her absence of family was probably the reason. And for
the first time when she looked at Carmen, Ivy didn't see the powerful enigmatic thief. No, this time she saw an orphaned girl without
a family to call her own.
Zack noticed it too, and nudged his sister. "I'm finished Ive, we can go now if you want to."
"Carmen, we're going to hit the road now. Thanks for everything," Ivy said gently.
"Oh yes. Yes, you really should be going." Carmen immediately snapped out of her reverie and trotted into the next room.
"But, before you leave," she called, "I have something for you."
Zack and Ivy exchanged glances. "Uh…you didn't have to get us a present Carmen. That wasn't necessary."
Zack groaned. "Yeah, I still have that doll you gave me last year."
When Carmen reappeared in the kitchen she had in her arms a large brass key. "I'm sorry that I didn't have time to wrap it."
Noticing the confused expressions on the faces of Zack and Ivy she added, "This is the key to San Francisco. After I broke the record at
Acme for solving the most cases, the city gave this to me and made me her protectoress." She paused. "It would please me very much if you
would accept it as a present from me to you."
Her words were chosen carefully and almost sounded rehearsed. It reminded Ivy of last night when Carmen had tried to tell the Chief
she still cared about him. The mild kind tone of Carmen's voice touched Ivy in a way she didn't quite understand. "Carmen, we…I…can't accept
that from you. It's yours…your honor."
Zack nodded silently in agreement.
"Please accept it, detectives. I haven't exactly been protecting my hometown these past twelve years," she pleaded. "You are worthy
adversaries and I am very proud of you. It's an honor long overdue for both of you." Carmen placed the key in Ivy's arms, passing the torch from
one generation to the next.
"Thank you, Carmen. I don't quite know what to say…."
Ivy sniffled, tears in her eyes. The "I am very proud of you" was still ringing in her ears. Words her mother had rarely said to her
because she disliked the fact she worked at Acme and thought her work "unbecoming of a lady" and "a bunch of silly nonsense". "I don't know what
to say, either, Carmen. Thanks." She paused and took a deep breath. "But, I have something to tell you. We followed you last night and heard your
conversation with the Chief and all…..and well I thought you had a right to know."
Carmen simply sighed, but was a bit hurt that Ivy and Zack were aware of her private feelings. *At least they're honest* she thought.
"Always alert, detectives. That's what I like about you."
"Giving us this key….does that mean you'll never come back to Acme?"
The thief let out another longer, more thoughtful sigh. "Honestly, Zack, I don't know. Time will tell."
Taking that as their cue to exit, Ivy and Zack grabbed their coats and pulled on their boots. Ivy looked at the woman standing tall and
sorrowfully at the same time. She felt sorry for this person torn between two worlds. An urge to run across the room and hug her adversary seized
the redheaded detective, but she fought it. Instead, she extended her hand. "Have a Merry Christmas, Carmen."
Carmen returned the handshake smiling. "You too, Ivy. Merry Christmas."
"And Happy New Year," Zack added.
****************************************************
EPILOGUE: NEW YEAR'S EVE 1998
****************************************************
"Ten…..nine….eight….seven…..six…..five….four…..three…..two…..one….HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!" all of the detectives cheered.
It was Acme's famous New Year's bash in the control room and everybody was there. There was punch, and egg nog, and leftover fruitcake by the pound
and Acme's finest were ringing in the New Year with not just a bang, but an explosion Joining in with Dick Clark and the Times Square crowd on the
viewscreen they sang joyfully:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll lift a glass of health and cheer
To days of auld lang syne.
After the singing had ceased, Zack turned to face his boss. "Happy New Year, Chief!" he exclaimed. But the Chief's expression was far away….lost
in holidays and memories long gone by. Zack understood and silently raised his glass of Coke; in memory of the raven haired detective of auld lang syne.
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