"Chief, wake up!" Carmen whispered while fiddling with the Acme control panel. She hoped that this Christmas visit would go smoother than her previous one. The last thing she wanted was for the Chief to take it the wrong way and set off the alarms. A long prison sentence was not exactly at the top of her Christmas list. It was a risk, but a good one, for Carmen believed that with the right words, the Chief would understand where she was coming from. She came to Acme that night for a reason and the Chief just had to listen to what she had to say. If he didn’t, she didn’t know what she’d do. Risks aside, the Chief was still asleep and snoring away, complete with his Santa hat. Carmen had to laugh at that. The Chief was always festive and merry; winter, spring, summer, or fall. "Merry Christmas, Chief!" Carmen spoke much louder this time, and it worked. "Whaaaaa...where did the visions of sugarplums go?" a half awake Chief scanned the room and blinked computer generated eyes. At the sight of Carmen, the blinking ceased and turned to a wide eyed stare. "Ahhhhh! Carmen, WHAT-ARE-YOU-DOING-HERE?!?" he exclaimed wildly. "I just thought I’d drop in for a holiday visit," Carmen flashed what she hoped was a sincere smile. No effect. The Chief was about ready to start climbing the walls- that is if he had a body. "Oh, sure you did," he sneered. "Just like the last time you were here. I almost was gone for good after that little visit! And what about that other time...you had me believing that you had come back to work at Acme and then you stole my nose!" By now, the Chief had turned as red as Rudolph’s nose. "Well, I came to apologize for that, Chief. Can’t you spare a few minutes to talk to an old friend?" Carmen asked genuinely. Immediately the Chief’s demeanor changed. Her words were true... he hoped they were true..and truth be told, he had been wishing that she would stop by. "Uh...why of course, Carmen. Have a seat." His nervous appearance caused Carmen to worry a bit. *I didn’t come here to shock him* she thought. As she sat down in the comfy leather chair, she tried her best to relax and look casual, but failed. What she had come to tell him was hard to say, even for her. Something that she had tried to say once, but never managed to get out... "Yoo-hoo, Carmen..." The Chief said in a sing-songy voice to bring Carmen out of her thoughts. "Have you had a little too much egg nog tonight?" he teased her, eyes twinkling. Carmen blushed. "No, I’m sorry Chief. I was just thinking there for a moment." "Wellllll, what did you want to talk to me about?" The Chief seemed anxious. *Here goes nothing* Carmen thought. She took a deep breath and prayed she didn’t lose her nerve. "Chief, do you remember when I faked my death in that plane crash a few years ago?" The Chief’s bright eyes dimmed with the sorrow as he took in her words. "Yes, Carmen, I remember," he answered coolly. *How could I forget? It’s not everyday your best friend dies...almost dies* he thought painfully. "And do you recall how I said that by your reaction I could tell that you still cared for me?" "Yes..." The Chief had no idea what on Earth Carmen could possibly be driving at. "Well, you know that Christmas I 'borrowed' you from Acme?" The Chief nodded. "I didn’t just do it so I could steal something, Chief. I did it because I missed you and I wanted to tell you something, something important." Carmen broke off abruptly. This was difficult and she didn’t quite know the right way to say it., or if she should even say it at all. She was torn; she couldn’t turn back without saying this. It took every molecule of courage that she possessed to say, "I wanted to tell you...I still want to tell you that," she paused to look the Chief in the eyes, "I still care for you, too." The Chief didn’t quite know what to say. He had only recently resigned himself to the idea that she would never return to him, and he had truly believed that she was lost to him for good. Then, today she shows up and tells him...that. He had to ask, "You mean that Carmen?" "Yes, Chief. I do," Carmen smiled. It was like a huge burden had been lifted from her. She knew that she had done the right thing. "Oh, Carmen, I never stopped caring for you. Even after you left...even when you stole my nose...and when I thought you were gone..." The Chief’s eyes clouded up with electronic tears, "It was like I had lost everybody. My sister, my daughter, my mother, my wife, my best friend. All in one day," He blew his nose on a polka dotted handkerchief. "You were, well are, all those things to me, Carmen," the Chief stated calmly as he tried to hold back the emotion. "Chief, please don’t cry." Carmen held her hand to his screen. "I’m sorry I pulled that stunt, Chief. I felt so guilty afterwards." The Chief listened to her attentively, occasionally stifling a sob or blowing his nose. "I never meant to hurt you, but I didn’t know that you cared for me..." "You didn’t know!" the Chief exclaimed with a hint of laughter. "And I thought you knew everything, Carmen," he chided with a sly smile. "I do not, Chief and you know it. But yes, I didn’t know. I thought you hated me for what I had done." Carmen said softly. "Well, I did..." Carmen immediately looked hurt. "...for about fifteen minutes," he laughed. Then he became very serious again. "Your leaving did hurt me Carmen, it hurt me a lot. And for awhile I was angry at you, but I never hated you. I could never ever hate you. You’re too special to me." Genuine affection shone on the Chief’s tear-stained face. "Thanks, Chief," Carmen blushed again. She was getting a bit misty eyed herself. "But, I probably don’t deserve that after what I’ve put you through all these years," Carmen sighed. "Yeah, well, I understand now. You are what you are Carmen. Stealing is wrong, it’s against the law and there’s no two ways about it. But, if that’s what makes you happy, I can’t do anything about it. I just want you to be happy, Carmen. That’s what’s most important." He thought for a moment silently then added, "Are you happy, Carmen?" *Am I happy?* Carmen thought. She looked into the Chief’s eyes, which seemed to say, 'Be honest' and knew she had to tell the truth. "Sometimes I’m happy at VILE, and sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I actually wish I was back at Acme, like tonight. Others, I’m content and thrilled to be 'Carmen Sandiego, Queen of Crime.' Yet..." she trailed off into thought. "You want something more, something more permanent." Carmen stared at the Chief in shock. His words had hit pretty close to home. "Exactly." She didn’t elaborate on how the thrill was fleeting and short-lived, or how stressful and lonely her job could be at times. "You were happy at Acme for awhile, Carmen. If you feel this way then why don’t you come..." "Don’t ask me that Chief, please." Carmen quickly interrupted, a sharp edge coming into her voice. "I just can’t..not right now anyway. Besides, what about Zack and Ivy? What would they think of working side by side with the woman they’ve been trying to put behind bars for four years?" "Speaking of Zack and Ivy, they got caught in a blizzard. Their parents called to let me know. I hope they’re alright," the Chief spoke, concern written all over his face. "Oh, I’m sure they’re fine," Carmen smirked. "What do you know, Carmen? Wipe that 'I know something you don’t know' smile off your face and tell me what’s going on." The Chief looked impatiently at her, half smiling-half frowning. "Zack and Ivy did get run off the road. Then they showed up on my doorstep." "No way, dude!" The Chief exclaimed trying to sound like a surfer. "Yes way. They’re there right now. We had a good time and so far, Zack hasn’t broken a single priceless antique." "Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, or your Mings before they’re smashed," The Chief said jokingly. They both laughed, and continued to talk about other less serious things. In a dark corner of the room, another scene had been taking place. Zack and Ivy had been eavesdropping on the entire conversation. When they realized that Carmen was going to Acme, both detectives had panicked, sure that Carmen was going to hack into the mainframe, sabotage the C-5, or do something equally despicable. Upon arriving, Ivy had wanted to arrest Carmen on the spot, but Zack wanted to wait. Even though he was worried that Carmen might be trying to steal something, he had a strange feeling that she wasn’t up to her usual tricks tonight. So, they crept into the shadows and listened, and were amazed by what they heard. "Ivy," Zack whispered, breaking the awkward silence, "I think we can go now." Ivy, who had been staring at the floor for the last few minutes, took one last look at Carmen and the Chief. The two old friends were remembering the 'good ol’ days' and making up for twelve years of separation. "Yeah, let’s hit the road, little bro." Walking out into the chilly night air, brother and sister maintained their silence. Both felt conflicting emotions over what they had just witnessed. Finally, Zack couldn’t take it anymore, so he said, "That was kinda weird back there, wasn’t it Ivy? Carmen and the Chief and all?" "Yeah, Zack, it was. I never knew Carmen felt that way. I..I.just don’t understand sometimes, I guess." "You’re not the only one, sis. I mean, I knew the Chief cared a lot about Carmen, but I guess I never really realized how much she meant to him." Zack rubbed his frozen hands together to keep warm. "We shouldn’t have eavesdropped on the them. It was our job and everything, but I feel really scummy right now, Ive." "Me, too. Like pond scum. No, wait. Lower than pond scum." "That’s pretty low," Zack commented. "I know." Ivy shot her brother a withering look. Suddenly, she leapt up and kicked a trash can as hard as she could, knocking it over. "Arrrgh! I don’t get it! I don’t get it at all! Carmen’s a criminal, I shouldn’t feel this way. I shouldn’t feel sorry about invading her privacy. I’m a cop, she’s a crook, it’s as simple as that!" Ivy blurted out on the street to no one in particular. Then, her demeanor softened. "But it’s not as simple as that, is it?" "No, Ivy. It isn’t. Nothing is," Zack stated quietly as he helped his sister pick up the dented trash can. "Things aren’t just black and white, especially Carmen Sandiego." "She’s shades of gray, Zack." Ivy sighed, a revelation coming over her. "More like a rainbow of color," Zack said wistfully. "Let’s go, little bro. The least we can do is thank Carmen for her hospitality tomorrow morning." The siblings hid inside the aircraft, anticipating Carmen’s arrival. To be continued...