Work Text:
Team Carmen was currently staying in a hotel in the UK because Carmen wanted to take her time going back to San Diego. It had only been a few days since the train incident, and the thief thought it'd be a good idea to take traveling slow for a few days to allow her team to calm down. It was late when they finally arrived at the hotel they’d be staying in. Checking in had been fast which made both Carmen and Zack very happy since they were rather tired. Once they got to the room the younger redhead and the brunette changed into their sleepwear and collapsed on their respective beds. Ivy, on the other hand, decided to stay up.
The room they were staying in had a desk in the corner of the room, a large tv stationed next to the desk, and in front of the two beds which were placed against the opposing wall. In between the beds was a small bedside table that housed a lamp and phone.
After flicking the dim desk light on Ivy pulled out the new gadget she had been working on early and placed it on the desk. She sat down and began tinkering with a new project when her dull green eye drifted to Carmen’s sleeping form. Coach Brunt’s ‘visit’ on the train had left Ivy feeling extraordinarily guilty. The older sibling had already been beating herself up over what happened in Stockholm and then this. Her guilt was taking a toll on her mental health and had recently started affecting her sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes for more than a few seconds horrible images appeared. Before the train incident, most of them were Carmen barely alive with ACME agents surrounding her. However, in more recent days images Carmen tied up on the ground of a train car seemed to flood her mind. ‘I was right next door,’ Ivy thought as her eyes moved back to the project she had been working on before getting distracted. ‘I could’ve done somethin. Anythin. But I didn’t…. And Carmen was hurt because of it.’
Ivy sighed, once again pausing her work. She couldn’t focus, not when she was being plagued with her regrets. The older of the two siblings stood up quietly and glanced at her teammates for a moment.
Zack and Carmen had already claimed the beds, which was fine since Ivy would usually just slip in next to Carmen when she was done working. Not tonight though. She didn’t want to accidentally wake up the brunette by having one of her more recent nightmares. So instead Ivy quietly made her way to the door. She gave one last glance to her brother and girlfriend before slipping out of the room.
Ivy sauntered through the muted hallway towards the elevator. Once in the elevator, she selected the first floor. She happened to have made a note of a bar on the base level, and while Ivy typically refrained from drinking, she needed it tonight. A few moments later the elevator docked on the first floor with a soft ding. The metal doors slid open and Ivy hastily made her way to the bar.
The bar was dimly lit and quite empty. There were maybe two or three people in it excluding Ivy herself. The redhead sighed and took a seat at the bar. A few seconds later the bartender approached her and asked her what she wanted.
“Rum and cola on the rocks,” Ivy requested in a tired voice. The bartender nodded and began mixing her drink. Ivy herself silently thanked the heavens that Carmen had decided to visit the UK for a few days before heading back to San Diego since she wouldn’t legally be allowed to drink back in the states.
The bartender placed Ivy’s glass in front of her, she gave a quick thank you before taking a large swig of her drink. The alcohol burned her throat, but by this point she didn’t care. At least she could feel something other than the crushing regret that she had been subjected to the past few days.
Ivy noticed someone take the seat next to her out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t care all that much, they could sit wherever they desired, and even if she did care she was too tired to do anything about it. After a few moments, the bartender asked the person next to Ivy what they’d like. The redhead was about to take another swig from her drink but froze when the person next to her spoke.
“I’d just like a glass of water,” Carmen stated. The bartender nodded and placed a glass of ice water in front of the brunette who took a small sip. Ivy not so subtly turned in the opposite direction from where the thief sat, suddenly becoming very interested in the tv that was mounted on the far wall. “You didn’t join me,” Carmen said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Ivy sighed, there was no way she was getting out of this conversation, so she turned to Carmen.
“Sorry Carm,” Ivy began, “it was late and I didn’t want to wake you-”
“So you snuck out to a bar instead,” Carmen interrupted. Ivy opened her mouth to attempt to remedy the situation but closed it as Carmen continued, “Ivy, please talk to me. You’ve been acting distant for the past couple of days, and I’d like it if you’d explain why.”
Ivy was silent for a moment as she tried to string the right words together to explain herself but in the end, she simply said, “I’ve been havin a lot of nightmares lately.”
“Nightmare? About what exactly,” Carmen asked with concern.
“At first it was just the events in Stockholm, but recently it’s been the train too,” Ivy admitted softly. “I mean I was right there on the train, only a few feet from you and I wasn’t able to do anythin. Then you were attacked and tied up and I just- I keep thinking about what I could’ve done differently. How I could’ve helped, but it doesn’t even matter because I didn’t help. I just sat in the dining car and ate my food, the entire time I kept thinkin that you’d be alright, that you didn’t need me to babysit you, and then……”
Ivy began to weep softly as the memories of that day rushed back to her. She felt the fear and regret that she had felt when she and Zack found Carmen tied up. The pain of realizing that she could’ve prevented it. That she could’ve at least been there to protect her. The pain of knowing that she could’ve lost Carmen that day.
Carmen wrapped her arms around Ivy, allowing her to cry as she spoke. “Ivy,” Carmen stated, “I know that you feel guilty over what happened, but you need to understand that you couldn’t have done anything to prevent these events. What happened in Stockholm was not your fault at all. And what happened on the train was also not your fault. I don’t want you to beat yourself up over things you couldn’t control.” Carmen pulled Ivy in closer as she continued, “and I want you to know that I love you, and seeing you like this is painful for me. So please, come back to the room and try to sleep.”
“But what if I have another nightmare, I can’t, I,” Ivy stopped as Carmen brought her lips to Ivy’s. After a moment Ivy melted into the kiss, allowing the last of her tears to spill as she wrapped her arms around Carmen’s neck. When they pulled away Carmen softly proclaimed, “I promise I’ll be right there next to you, ready to comfort you at a moment’s notice.”
“Thank you Carmen,” Ivy said softly as a smile formed on her face. Carmen nodded and quickly stood up. She paid for their drinks then led the tired redhead back to their room. Ivy flopped onto the bed, finally allowing her eyes to shut. Carmen took her spot next to her girlfriend who immediately snuggled up next to her. The brunette kissed Ivy’s head then allowed sleep to take her away.
Carmen’s grey eyes fluttered open as the morning sun leaked into the room. She could feel Ivy pressed against her back, sound asleep. A smile curled on her lips as she subtly snuggled into her girlfriend’s warm body. Carmen felt Ivy’s strong arms wrap around her protectively, which made the brunette’s smile grow even wider.
“Good mornin,” Ivy said sleepily as Carmen kissed one of her hands.
“How’d you sleep,” the brunette asked as she turned to face her girlfriend.
“Surprisingly well, actually,” the redhead responded with a groggy smile. “Thanks Carm. For everything.”
“Of course Ivy,” Carmen said with a bright smile as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ivy’s forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Ivy declared lovingly.
The two stayed in bed for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company as they waited for Zack to wake up so they could continue their journey back home.