Author's Note: The timing on this one doesn't matter too much to the integrity of the story, but we'll say it's after the engagement, just so Sam can show off her ring if she wants to. For those who aren't really keeping track, this would make Gina about 13. (They grow up so quickly.... Sigh)
......................
"What do you want to do first?" He asked as the four of them passed through the main gate.
"Rides!" Gina squealed.
Sam smiled, looking at Jack.
"Rides?"
He shrugged, more than willing to do whatever they wanted.
"Rides it is."
He didn't ride on any rides. For one thing, he didn't really care for the rides all that much. An Air Force pilot who can fly anything that moves and has flown in countless alien spacecraft just has a hard time getting a thrill out of riding on a roller coaster or a Zipper. Instead, he was the designated purse holder, and dog watcher while Gina and Sam rode every ride on the strip.
They worked their way down the lines methodically, Gina talking animatedly about whatever ride they happened to be in line for, and Sam nodding her own agreement and adding in her own opinions. Carter was far more enthused about the rides than Jack, and it showed. Luckily, he had a handy excuse in Jaffer not to ride – since he wasn't really sure how Jaffer would react to Jack getting on a machine and being whizzed away with the dog right there – so Gina didn't even suspect that Jack preferred to stay on the ground.
However, while Sam and Gina rode the rides, Jack and Jaffer made their way through the long lines of concession stands that were all over the ride area. Every time the girls would get off a ride, Jack would be eating a different kind of food, and Jaffer showed obvious signs of having just completed the same snack Jack was eating. By the time Sam and Gina got off the Gravitron, Jack and Jaffer had sampled pretty much everything the carnival had to offer by way of food. Of course, by sharing whatever it was with Jaffer, Jack managed not to eat too much of any one thing which kept him from making himself sick. Jaffer could never eat himself sick by quantity alone, especially since he wasn't getting full helpings, so that wasn't even a concern, although Jack made sure the black lab didn't get anything that was too bad for him. Like chocolate.
They were sitting on a bench when Sam and Gina walked over to them. Jack was just finishing up a slice of pizza, with Sam's purse in his lap and Gina's little purse slung around Jaffer's neck. The two came over and sat down on either side of O'Neill, who offered them both a bite, but they declined.
"Ugh, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat," Gina said, holding her stomach and pretending to be sick. "I didn't know that ride spins you so fast."
Jack finished his slice while they got their equilibrium back, and then asked what they wanted to do next. It was still early, after all, and there was a lot left to see.
"How about some games?" Sam suggested. "You still have to win me a stuffed animal."
"Me, too, Jack."
Great. He rolled his eyes and handed Sam back her purse, then handed Gina hers and stood up.
"Games it is. Although, for the record, I've never won a prize at any carnival game. Ever. They're rigged, you know?"
"They are not," Sam said, smiling. She put her arm through Jack's, and held Gina's hand with the other one as the four of them walked away from the rides section of the midway and headed for the games. "They're easy if you take into account the physics of exactly how you need to throw a ball, or a dart, or whatever. You just need the right angle to make sure that-"
"Why don't you win me a stuffed animal, then?" Jack said cutting her off with a smile instead of the normal scowl he would have used when she started off on her tech-talk. He still didn't want to hear about angles and loft. Not if he really didn't have to.
"Fine."
She proceeded to do just that. The very first game table they walked up to, Sam tossed three rings in a row onto various coke bottles and won a huge stuffed polar bear. Jack shook his head, and handed it over to Gina with a smile. The thing was pretty much as big as Gina was and she took it eagerly. Jaffer sniffed it suspiciously, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be and why it was suddenly part of the group he was in charge of.
At the next table, Carter proved that the polar bear wasn't a fluke. She knocked over three cans with a softball and Jack was handed an incredibly large stuffed monkey. When he tried to pass this one over to Gina, the girl shrugged helplessly. She could barely hold the polar bear; there was no way she was going to be able to hold the monkey, too.
Sam smiled, and tossed three softballs into a tilted basket at the next game, and once more a large stuffed animal was passed over to the group. This one was a large stuffed black lab, and Jack had to admit he liked it enough that he didn't mind carrying it. The monkey was put on Jaffer's back where it rode easily with Gina holding it up to keep it balanced while she held the polar bear, and Jack held the stuffed black lab in one arm and Jaffer's leash with the other hand as they walked towards the next table.
"You can't win anymore, Sam," Jack said as the Carney who was behind the game table took a worried look at all the prizes they'd already won. He was fairly certain he was about to part with a large prize as well. "We'll never be able to carry it."
"But it's so much fun..."
"Show off."
She laughed, and decided that he was right about their carrying capacity. Who knew how long Jaffer was going to put up with being a horse for a monkey rider, and when the black lab decided he'd had enough, Sam would end up carrying it around. They didn't have enough hands for her to win anything else just then. She shrugged at the Carney who'd been watching them, and they bypassed the table, walking instead towards yet another concession stand.
"Then we'll get something to eat, and decide what we want to do next." She looked over at Gina, who was pretty much hidden by the monkey that was being carried by Jaffer.
"Are you ready to eat yet?"
"Yeah."
Jack took the polar bear from Gina, carrying it by the leg in the same arm that was holding the stuffed dog, and then took over balancing the monkey on Jaffer's back.
"We'll get a picnic table." He told them. "You two get in line."
"You want anything?" Sam asked.
"Of course!" He didn't tell her what, though, figuring she'd bring him something good no matter what she decided to get, and loaded down with stuffed animals and drawing stares from everyone in the area, he and Jaffer went over to one of the few empty picnic tables.
"I could have won these, you know?" Jack said to Jaffer as he put the monkey on the table next to the polar bear and the stuffed dog and then sat down with an exaggerated sigh. "I just wanted Sam to... feel special."
Jaffer snorted. He didn't believe him. That was okay, though. It wasn't true.
......................
"What do you want to do first?" He asked as the four of them passed through the main gate.
"Rides!" Gina squealed.
Sam smiled, looking at Jack.
"Rides?"
He shrugged, more than willing to do whatever they wanted.
"Rides it is."
He didn't ride on any rides. For one thing, he didn't really care for the rides all that much. An Air Force pilot who can fly anything that moves and has flown in countless alien spacecraft just has a hard time getting a thrill out of riding on a roller coaster or a Zipper. Instead, he was the designated purse holder, and dog watcher while Gina and Sam rode every ride on the strip.
They worked their way down the lines methodically, Gina talking animatedly about whatever ride they happened to be in line for, and Sam nodding her own agreement and adding in her own opinions. Carter was far more enthused about the rides than Jack, and it showed. Luckily, he had a handy excuse in Jaffer not to ride – since he wasn't really sure how Jaffer would react to Jack getting on a machine and being whizzed away with the dog right there – so Gina didn't even suspect that Jack preferred to stay on the ground.
However, while Sam and Gina rode the rides, Jack and Jaffer made their way through the long lines of concession stands that were all over the ride area. Every time the girls would get off a ride, Jack would be eating a different kind of food, and Jaffer showed obvious signs of having just completed the same snack Jack was eating. By the time Sam and Gina got off the Gravitron, Jack and Jaffer had sampled pretty much everything the carnival had to offer by way of food. Of course, by sharing whatever it was with Jaffer, Jack managed not to eat too much of any one thing which kept him from making himself sick. Jaffer could never eat himself sick by quantity alone, especially since he wasn't getting full helpings, so that wasn't even a concern, although Jack made sure the black lab didn't get anything that was too bad for him. Like chocolate.
They were sitting on a bench when Sam and Gina walked over to them. Jack was just finishing up a slice of pizza, with Sam's purse in his lap and Gina's little purse slung around Jaffer's neck. The two came over and sat down on either side of O'Neill, who offered them both a bite, but they declined.
"Ugh, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat," Gina said, holding her stomach and pretending to be sick. "I didn't know that ride spins you so fast."
Jack finished his slice while they got their equilibrium back, and then asked what they wanted to do next. It was still early, after all, and there was a lot left to see.
"How about some games?" Sam suggested. "You still have to win me a stuffed animal."
"Me, too, Jack."
Great. He rolled his eyes and handed Sam back her purse, then handed Gina hers and stood up.
"Games it is. Although, for the record, I've never won a prize at any carnival game. Ever. They're rigged, you know?"
"They are not," Sam said, smiling. She put her arm through Jack's, and held Gina's hand with the other one as the four of them walked away from the rides section of the midway and headed for the games. "They're easy if you take into account the physics of exactly how you need to throw a ball, or a dart, or whatever. You just need the right angle to make sure that-"
"Why don't you win me a stuffed animal, then?" Jack said cutting her off with a smile instead of the normal scowl he would have used when she started off on her tech-talk. He still didn't want to hear about angles and loft. Not if he really didn't have to.
"Fine."
She proceeded to do just that. The very first game table they walked up to, Sam tossed three rings in a row onto various coke bottles and won a huge stuffed polar bear. Jack shook his head, and handed it over to Gina with a smile. The thing was pretty much as big as Gina was and she took it eagerly. Jaffer sniffed it suspiciously, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be and why it was suddenly part of the group he was in charge of.
At the next table, Carter proved that the polar bear wasn't a fluke. She knocked over three cans with a softball and Jack was handed an incredibly large stuffed monkey. When he tried to pass this one over to Gina, the girl shrugged helplessly. She could barely hold the polar bear; there was no way she was going to be able to hold the monkey, too.
Sam smiled, and tossed three softballs into a tilted basket at the next game, and once more a large stuffed animal was passed over to the group. This one was a large stuffed black lab, and Jack had to admit he liked it enough that he didn't mind carrying it. The monkey was put on Jaffer's back where it rode easily with Gina holding it up to keep it balanced while she held the polar bear, and Jack held the stuffed black lab in one arm and Jaffer's leash with the other hand as they walked towards the next table.
"You can't win anymore, Sam," Jack said as the Carney who was behind the game table took a worried look at all the prizes they'd already won. He was fairly certain he was about to part with a large prize as well. "We'll never be able to carry it."
"But it's so much fun..."
"Show off."
She laughed, and decided that he was right about their carrying capacity. Who knew how long Jaffer was going to put up with being a horse for a monkey rider, and when the black lab decided he'd had enough, Sam would end up carrying it around. They didn't have enough hands for her to win anything else just then. She shrugged at the Carney who'd been watching them, and they bypassed the table, walking instead towards yet another concession stand.
"Then we'll get something to eat, and decide what we want to do next." She looked over at Gina, who was pretty much hidden by the monkey that was being carried by Jaffer.
"Are you ready to eat yet?"
"Yeah."
Jack took the polar bear from Gina, carrying it by the leg in the same arm that was holding the stuffed dog, and then took over balancing the monkey on Jaffer's back.
"We'll get a picnic table." He told them. "You two get in line."
"You want anything?" Sam asked.
"Of course!" He didn't tell her what, though, figuring she'd bring him something good no matter what she decided to get, and loaded down with stuffed animals and drawing stares from everyone in the area, he and Jaffer went over to one of the few empty picnic tables.
"I could have won these, you know?" Jack said to Jaffer as he put the monkey on the table next to the polar bear and the stuffed dog and then sat down with an exaggerated sigh. "I just wanted Sam to... feel special."
Jaffer snorted. He didn't believe him. That was okay, though. It wasn't true.