Summary: Six years after the main series, Ivy asks Carmen for a favor.

Disclaimer: I'm just a fanfiction author. All hail the rightful owners.

Ivy paused for a moment, not sure if Carmen was making some sort of particularly deadpan joke and then laughed aloud. "Well that's good to know. I'll remember that if I ever need to… I don't know what would you do with Sara… invite her to give a seminar or something."

Carmen briefly laughed along, and then did a slight double take. "That's enough." She said suddenly.

The chuckle caught in Ivy's throat. "What?"

"Enough daikon." Carmen's face was suddenly guarded.

"Oh." Ivy stopped. "Ok then."

As her hands abruptly doubled in efficiency the master thief added. "And enough vegetables."

"Ok…" Ivy hesitated. "Do you need anything else..."

"No." Carmen cut off her question. "You can bring that plate to the dining room…"

"Alright…" Ivy glanced around trying to determine what had brought about the sudden change in Carmen's demeanor. Had she glanced at the clock?

"And remain there," Carmen's voice was not too blunt but neither was it warm. "I'll bring the other."

"Err… alright. I'll see you in a minute..." Ivy tried not glance over her shoulder, sure she'd see Carmen watching her leave with an inscrutable if not hostile gaze.

If Ivy had been hoping that the dining room would cheer her up, she wasn't about to get her wish. The place had the same sort of techno sterile vibe, but this time with cafeteria tables. She'd never really expected Carmen's aesthetic to be this. But she supposed an underground bunker wasn't going to be as… elegant as she had supposed.

The former detective walked through the communal dining room, reflecting that she really didn't know anyone at this dinner. Did Carmen only keep henchmen for a few years or something? Had she deliberately kept the ones Ivy was familiar away with her? She swallowed, set the vegetables down at a table full of henchmen and then backed kind of awkwardly off, since they didn't seem to have any spare seats.

This was ridiculous. Honestly she hadn't had this problem since middle school. Not even at her new job and they were famously unfriendly, especially to upstart new girls. Ivy had gotten through that without breaking a sweat. Figures now of all times she'd start feeling like an awkward kid.

Then, somewhere across the room, she saw Sara, sitting quietly at a table by herself. She couldn't believe she was actually glad to see the mad scientist. It really had been a very long time. "Sara..." she said. "Hi." Well that was a good greeting for six years of… of whatever this was.

Sara looked up from putting some napa cabbage into the broth on the burner. "Hello detective."

"I'm not a detective anymore." Ivy said. Not that again.

"Oh..." Sara sounded a little confused. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be..." This wasn't making that much sense in Ivy's head. "Just err… call me Ivy ok?" She had never figured on a future when she'd be making smalltalk with Sara, no matter how many years had passed. Really six years wasn't that much, was it?

Apparently it was. "I just want you to know." The scientist declared shyly. "That I'm very sorry about locking you up, stealing dangerous things, and causing those explosions."

Ivy tried to focus on dipping a piece of bok choy into the spicy liquid. "That's ok it was a long time ago."

"I'm still sorry." Sara said.

"So..." Ivy was starting to feel a little ashamed of herself and wasn't too keen on the feeling. "That's a really nice looking dog. Is she yours?"

Sara nodded. "Her name is Libby, after William Libby. She's a German Shepard Collie mix."

"Um... why is she at the table?"

Around that moment, Carmen arrived like a summer storm, punctuating her steps with clicks of her heels. She pulled herself up a chair, calmly reaching for some of the ingredients and beginning her meal without missing a beat.

Sara looked at her boss for a moment and then explained. "Because she makes the humans less scary."

Ivy frowned.

"Don't worry she won't eat anything. She just likes to sit by me." Sara somehow looked completely contrite and terrifying at the same time.

"Must make labwork... interesting..."

Sara laughed in a way that reminded Ivy about her mad scientist credentials. "You have no idea."

Ivy muttered to herself. "That can't be a good idea."

In response, Sara opened her mouth, looking decisively offended.

"So, how have you been, Ivy?" Carmen interjected abruptly, with a rather disturbing smile.

"Um... basically fine."

"Perhaps you could tell us about your hobbies."

Ivy tried to think of one.

"Since you can't talk about your job." Carmen added, with a saccharine wave of her hand that was probably just intended to get at the plate with the rolled meat on it.

"I actually can't think of any." And wasn't that just a little sad.

"How unfortunate. I don't suppose you've kept up your martial arts?"

"Um…" Ivy colored. "Not very well."

With a shake of her head, Carmen remarked. "That is a shame. You were very good."

Ivy felt something resembling self-defense reassert itself. "Would you stop saying that?"

Elegantly, Carmen shrugged, and dipped another morsel into the pot to cook.

For several minutes, the conversation ground to an awkward halt as the three women cooked and ate their meal in silence.

"So how about you just tell me what you actually want to talk about." Ivy finally demanded.

"What makes you think I want to talk?" Carmen asked.

"You picked a type of meal that's good for conversation and you're sitting at my table." Ivy said with little inflection. "You want to talk."

"Um... Carmen." Sara said awkwardly.

"What?" The master thief demanded.

"Remember how the therapist said I was supposed to tell you if I thought you were being passive aggressive?"

Ivy's jaw dropped.

The master thief exhaled in a caustic hiss. "Very well. Sara, let's talk."

"I meant to Ivy."

Carmen turned her head. "I see."

Ivy squared her shoulders at stared back at her former adversary. "Well?"

The master thief spoke slowly, her words icy, musical, and deliberate. "Have you learned anything more about this… threat…"

Ivy shivered.

"To your… life." The sentence finished on a tone that was both affectionate and guarded.

"Carmen, you know I can't tell you…" Ivy muttered awkwardly.

Carmen nodded. "I know."

There were several beats of silence.

Sara exclaimed. "Carmen you promised you'd…"

The master thief put up her hand, stopping the words in mid breath. She slowly breathed once, in and out. "I know, and that bothers me."

The dog barked.