"Who knew a city could be so loud?" Ivy complained, sending a glare outside the window of their hotel room. She'd obviously just woken up and was none too pleased with the loud interruptions.

Carmen passed by on her way to the couch, only sparing it a glance. "Didn't you grow up in Boston? Besides, I think there's a parade going on." She shrugged on a sweatshirt; if it was going to be more biting than she was used to, might as well be comfortable.

It wasn't exactly her idea to come to New York City in the middle of November. Far from it, actually. They just pulled off a caper yesterday. Usually they'd be en route to their next already, but Player needed a little extra time to crack the next entry. Given how quickly they'd been working through the data the last month or so, he figured they had a little wiggle room to stay there, and for whatever reason, she agreed.

"Parade? Ivy, isn't that-" Zack pushed Ivy aside, peering out the window himself despite being half asleep seconds earlier. Before long, they were jostling for the best spot. "Is today Thursday already?"

Carmen glanced up from one of the little travel brochures she'd picked up from the front desk. She always found them interesting. If she didn't have to travel light, she probably would've started a collection of interesting ones. "Pretty sure, why?"

They turned, dumbfounded by her lackluster response. "Carm, this is one of the biggest parades of the year!" Ivy said, pulling back the curtain a little more to make room for her. "Surely you've heard of it at least."

"A parade on a random Thursday? Can't say that I have." Still, she got up and looked outside for herself. Crowds were lined up on either side of the road as far as she could see. It was one of the largest gatherings of people she'd seen in a long time. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

"I can't believe we forgot about it!" Zack lamented, looking outside again. "Carm, it's Thanksgiving!"

She blinked. "...Okay?" The parade was still going by, quite loudly she might add. She sat back on the couch, returning her attention to the travel brochure. Maybe one day she'd be able to see a Broadway show here.

Zack and Ivy exchanged a quick look before Ivy spoke up again, a tad more hesitant. "Have you never celebrated Thanksgiving?"

"Not many holidays or celebrations on V.I.L.E. Island other than graduation," she reminded them, flipping to the back of the brochure. Kinda made life dull. "Is it something big here?"

"Depends on the family. We never did much apart from watching the parade, but a lot of families get together for Thanksgiving. When we were little, Mom used to make us dress up all stuffy. We'd spend forever at Nana's house eating the driest turkey and stuffing you could imagine." Zack shook his head with a laugh. "Even I wouldn't touch it."

Ivy made a face. "I remember all of those dresses. Worst ever."

Carmen set down her brochure and leaned into the couch, crossing her arms. "Sounds like you hated it."

Zack laughed, still watching the parade go by. "Nah, are you kidding me? It was great! Ivy, how long's it been since we celebrated?"

"Probably like...six, seven years." She shrugged, going back to watching the parade out the window. "I don't miss those dresses or the cooking, but like- the family aspect, everyone all under one roof. Even if all they'd do is shout at each other."

For a few minutes, the only sound in the room came from the parade and the marching bands in it. Carmen stood and slipped her wallet into her pocket. "I'll be back in a few," she said with an air of nonchalance. The two of them nodded, still watching the parade. She pulled a knit hat- red, naturally- over her loose ponytail, protecting her ears from the cold. She slipped in her pair of old earbuds, dialing Player as she waited for the elevator. The earbuds were always so much better for blending in.

"What's up, Red?" he answered on the first ring. She could hear the grin in his voice, despite it still being early.

"Strange request," she said as she stepped into the elevator. Thankfully, it was empty. "Can you tell me where the nearest grocery store is?"

He hummed under his breath. She could hear his keyboard in the background, one of the most familiar sounds to her. "A couple blocks down. I'll send the directions. But, why not just get takeout or room service? V.I.L.E. can afford it."

She chuckled, exiting the elevator and hotel. He wasn't wrong about that. "I'm getting things for Thanksgiving," she told him, starting to follow the directions he'd sent.

"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting that we don't celebrate it on the same day. We had Thanksgiving last month."

That, of course, piqued her interest. "There's a different Thanksgiving there?"

"Yeah, I don't think half of America knows it exists. Pretty sure they think they're the only ones that celebrate. I can hear the parade behind you, too. But it's nice, the second Monday in October instead of a Thursday in November. We get a long weekend."

"You lost me there." Even with the parade, it hadn't taken her long to get to the grocery store. She was used to moving quickly through crowds. She stopped just inside, grabbing a basket and realizing she had no idea what she was looking for. "Um. What exactly do people eat on Thanksgiving?"

"Sometimes I forget you grew up without this stuff, Red. Usually it's turkey, stuffing, pie, that kind of thing."

She made a small noise, scouring the aisles. The deli section had pre-packaged turkey already; perfect, since she wouldn't have time (or space) to make a full turkey. Some bread and cheese and they'd have great turkey sandwiches, which was close enough for her. "Where do you think I could find stuffing?"

She could practically hear his shrug. "Beats me, my aunt usually makes it from scratch. I think it has bread, onions, some spices, maybe something else? You could probably do without it."

"Noted." On her way to the bread aisle, she noticed a bunch of cans stacked neatly and marked with a discount. She picked one up, reading the label. "What about cranberry sauce?"

"You could go either way with that." He wasn't bothering to hide his obvious disgust, she could tell. "I don't like it, but Zack or Ivy might."

She added it to her basket anyway. "I'm pretty sure Zack will eat anything that isn't fish, so let's go with a yes." Besides, she wouldn't deny that she was curious about it. As she wandered to the bakery, she noticed just how few people were there. They likely already had their shopping done and were either cooking or enjoying the parade. There weren't many pies left, either, so she chose a pumpkin pie that looked nice enough to her. "Okay, I think I'm set."

"Do the twins know you're doing this?" Player asked as she returned to the front of the store.

"Not exactly. They were talking about it earlier, and I thought I'd give them something like a nice Thanksgiving." She stepped into the express lane and took out one of her earbuds, greeting the cashier with a kind smile.

The cashier smiled back knowingly, ringing up her items. "Some last minute shopping?" he guessed, assessing the groceries she'd picked up.

She nodded. "I'm pulling together a surprise Thanksgiving for my siblings." The words slipped out before she could really think, but she didn't regret saying them.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that. You caught us at the right time, too; we're closing in another couple hours so we can all be home in time for dinner." He handed her the bag once she finished paying. "Have a nice Thanksgiving, Miss."

"You, too." She dropped some money into the donations can next to him, one to raise money for a charity she'd heard about before, before leaving.

To his credit, Player waited until she was outside to speak on it. "So, Thanksgiving for your siblings, huh?"

She wove between all of the pedestrians, failing to hide a smile. "Well, I think it's accurate, don't you? But don't you dare tell them I said that."

The instant she said that, she could imagine the cheeky smile he was likely wearing. "Too late, already email-blasted everyone within ten miles. They all already know." She rolled her eyes, already setting her sights on the hotel again. "Just checking, though-"

"Of course you're part of that." She didn't even miss a beat. "You know you're basically my own twin at this point, right?"

"I know. It's just nice to hear you say that."

She knew that better than anyone.

"I'm going to transfer you over to video chat once I get back into the room," she said instead, leaning against the wall of the elevator. "That way, you're part of the festivities." The festivities that were really more of a lunch and dinner thing. Either way, she could make sure he was taking a break to eat.

"Sounds good to me. By the way, I almost have the next entry decoded. You'll be on your way tomorrow."

Perfect. She loved being a step ahead of V.I.L.E. "Thanks, Player." She used the key card, entering their room and disconnecting from the call. "Ivy, can you get Player on the laptop?" she asked, setting the grocery bag on the table.

Zack looked between her and the computer screen. "You both look like you've been plotting something." The wary note in his voice was not lost on her. He and Ivy had both been around long enough to know that they both had a mischievous streak. "What's up?"

Carmen smiled, soft and sweet, a smile she used to only use to get her way with the faculty. "Thanksgiving."

Ivy stared at her for a moment before staring at Player's grin. "Are you serious?"

"It's not much, but I've got stuff for turkey sandwiches, pumpkin pie, and that cranberry stuff." She tried to hide her expectant look. She was really excited to see what they thought. "I just thought it would be something nice, and Player helped me set it up."

Zack grinned wildly, already getting out plates and napkins. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's eat!"

Player lifted his own sandwich, making sure Carmen saw it. "I'm with you there."

Turkey sandwiches were not the height of luxury, but they did taste marginally better than expected, especially with conversation. "So, this is supposed to be cranberry sauce?" Carmen asked, poking at it with a fork.

"It's not the best tasting thing in the world," Ivy warned, nearly glaring at the stuff. "Zack's usually the only one who eats it."

Zack shrugged. "It's alright."

She wasn't sure if that was a good enough Zack Seal of Approval, but there wasn't much harm in trying it. Her skepticality was all for nothing, though; as it turned out, cranberry sauce was pretty good. "That's not bad."

"I can't believe you actually like it," Ivy groaned, starting to make a second sandwich.

Carmen swatted playfully at her arm. "Hey, don't eat too much or you won't have room for pie."

"It's been years since I've had pie. Trust me, there'll be room."

There wasn't any room left by the time five o'clock rolled around, nor was there much food left. That would serve as a later dinner, or even breakfast the next morning. She was sure that none of it would go to waste, anyway.

The rest of the evening was spent watching cheesy movies on the television, as well as one of the apparent classics that had been around for nearly fifty years. It was definitely an experience, one she wouldn't mind repeating the next year.

They called it a night around ten so they'd be rested and ready to travel in the morning. It was a nice stray from the norm, but she was ready to be back in their usual routine. They needed to be in top form if they were going to beat V.I.L.E. at their own game.

"Hey, Carm?" She could barely turn around before she was being hugged from both sides. "Thanks again."

As best as she could, she hugged them both back. "We should do this every year. Thanks for helping build the tradition."

They both squeezed her a bit before Zack stepped back, yawning. "I'm gonna turn in, g'nite." Ivy followed suit not long after that, bidding her a final good-night.

Carmen, however, stayed up just a minute longer. Good night, Player, she texted, lying on her side in bed.

You did a good thing, Carmen. Good night.

What do y'all think of my first Carmen Sandiego fic? I fell long and hard into this fandom a month or so ago, and I've been wanting to write something, I just couldn't decide what. I figured this was as good an occasion as any :)