CarmIvy Oneshots + Headcanons + Imagines

If you could only know, I'd never let you go

Title inspired by "Unsaid Emily" by the Julie and the Phantoms Cast. This song isn't romantic, but I thought these lines fit what happens in the fic well.

She never got to tell her how she felt.

When Carmen had left them with that note and the ACME pen, Ivy was hurting inside. Feeling her heart swelling with the pain of not being able to finally tell Carmen how she felt.

Ivy, in her and Zack's shared room, sat on her bed. Knees pulled to her chest as she stared at the picture frame in her hands.

It was a picture of her and Carmen, a selfie really, but it was still a nice picture. They were both sitting on a towel on the beach that sat in front of the Burj Khalifa. Ivy was holding up the camera with a huge smile on her face, and Carmen was next to her, smiling as well and had her arm wrapped around Ivy's shoulders.

Ivy stared at it for a few more seconds, and then she finally let her tears fall. Those tears turned to sniffles, and those sniffles turned to choked and pained sobs. As she clutched the frame to her chest.

"I miss ya, Carm.." She whispered through her sobs. "Please...come back. Come back to me."

When Carmen Sandiego was 25 years old and currently living in an apartment complex near her mother's orphanage, she had thought that her old life was over...well not forever, but..for a good amount of time since she's been out of the fighting game for 2 years now.

But when Paper Star had escaped from prison, and ACME had contacted her about it, Carmen suddenly felt her heart grow heavy.

Not that she didn't like the idea of being La Femme Rouge again, she loved it, but..that also meant she had to face her fear - seeing Zack and Ivy. Especially Ivy.

When she had left them that note, and the ACME pen, Carmen thought it was at least a goodbye and also an opportunity to take their crime fighting lives to the next level.

The last one? Yes.

The first one? No.

It took her some thinking, and Carmen found out - she was terrible at saying goodbye.

No really, she was.

VILE doesn't really count in that department, but she was terrible at saying goodbyes to people she really, genuinely, loved and not people who only raised her to be their perfect little operative.

So saying goodbye did not really look like a goodbye to her now, looking back at it. And after a talk with Player, who wasn't happy about the note too but was nice about it anyway and tried his best to help her, she was able to come to that conclusion.

Which is why Carmen was currently standing outside of the team's old HQ in San Diego. Hugging herself in real nervousness. It was her first time seeing her team in 2 years of absence, and she didn't leave them on a good note, but also not a bad note. But they may not forgive her for disappearing..there may be a chance she will never be in their lives again.

Carmen hesitantly reached forward, taking a deep breath, and then softly knocked.

She stepped aback, awaiting the answer of any familiar face even if there was only two of them living here. But she was still nervous.

A mere second later, the door slowly creaked open to reveal a familiar young woman with red hair and blue eyes. Those blue eyes widened in surprise and shock when they landed on Carmen.

"C-Carm?" Ivy whispered, not believing what she was seeing. Or rather, who she was seeing.

Carmen managed to offer a small, but genuine smile. "Hey..Ives."

Before Carmen could even start to talk again, she already felt strong but soft arms wrap around her and pull her into a almost-bone-crushing hug. Which made the older woman let out a surprised yelp.

"You idiot.." Ivy said, only loud enough for Carmen to hear. "You left us with a note, and Player said you went to Argentina! Why didn't you tell us?!" Ivy buried her face into Carmen's shoulder, letting her 2 years worth of waterworks come out.

Carmen froze for a second when she felt Ivy sob into her shirt, but she quickly got over it, returning the hug and resting her chin upon Ivy's crown.

"Ivy..I had to go out there and find myself. Where I came from..who my mom was. I'm sorry..you were right, I left you with a note and I'm really..sorry for that, but if there's anything I learned in my 2 years of being on my own is that I am terrible at goodbyes." Carmen dryly chuckled.

"I'm terrible at saying goodbye to the people I love. I promise you, Ives, I never took my mind off of you and Zack. No matter where I go, or who I choose to live with, you guys will always be with me. And I'm so, so sorry if I made it seem like I was abandoning you...that wasn't my intention." Carmen broke away from the hug and wiped tears from Ivy's eyes.

"I didn't leave that note and the ACME pen for no reason. I gave you two an opportunity to do what you want to do with your life - fighting crime. Plus, Chief and I have been in contact the entire time, I don't know why she never told you we were."

Ivy raised an unamused eyebrow. "Really? Then ya could've maybe, I don't know, given us a call?!"

Carmen facepalmed - Jesus Christ she [Carmen] was so stupid! "Of course I could've - but I also wanted to be able to live the life that..that I should've had." Carmen sighed.

"Look, Ives, I don't expect you to really forgive me for leaving, but can you..please accept my apology at least?" Carmen asked, looking down at her feet.

Ivy took some time to study Carmen closely, checking for any signs of deception (which was unlike Carmen, but she can't help but be protective). She really did honestly look like she was telling the truth, because Ivy knew Carmen had never lied to her before (unless it was about being injured, but Ivy resolved those incidents quickly).

Carmen was very honest with Zack and Ivy, and she was also hella perceptive and could tell when something was on both their minds. But she doesn't really ask about it unless she really needs to (meaning if it gets really bad she steps in but that's it). She just offers them to talk to her if they need anything.

Ivy finally snapped out of her train of thought, and then turned back to Carmen, who was standing there nervously awaiting her response. She sighed.

"I forgive ya, Carm. I get wanting to go and find yourself and needing to do it on your own.." Ivy smiled. "It may take a while to..adjust to each other again, since y'know, we've been out of contact for 2 years."

Carmen nodded, smiling back at Ivy with her gorgeous grey eyes. "Yeah. I get it. It'll take a while to adjust to living with my girlfriend again..or is it..ex-girlfriend now?" Her voice slipped into confusion at the last part.

Ivy laughed. "Ex..for now at least. I think we both just...need some time to get used to each other again."

Carmen solemnly nodded. "Yeah..you're right. This is for the best."

They both shared a brief moment of silence, not saying anything and just staring into each other's eyes. Before Carmen broke that silence.

"So..should we head inside? It's kind of getting awkward just sitting here in silence and I also want to see Zack again." Carmen asked, looking back at the door that was long since left wide open.

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, let's go before he screams at the top of his lungs asking who it is." She said, rolling her eyes and smiling at the image of that.

Ivy gestured to the door and mockingly bowed. "M'lady."

Carmen snorted, recognizing the inside joke. "Thanks, Muscles."