Chapter 3 - The Long Road
All right, 2nd chapter was sorta only gab, now I'll give my best to present y'all some more action in this one.
The next day they were all free to go to the fair. Serena had spent the night together with Jack at his place. Now they were on the way to pick up Sam at her house.
"Jack?" Serena who was sitting on the passenger side of the car bowed her head aside and eyed him questioningly.
"Yeah?" Jack replied not looking up at her.
"Does it disturb you that I'm this small, now?"
"No, why?" he said, "Just found it a bit funny that you were still wearing a small version of this green dress of yours when you arrived here."
"So?" Serena went on nudging Jack into a certain direction with her questions, "But it seems to disturb Sam that I'm looking like her when she was a kid."
"Not really", Jack turned to look at her, "she's just a bit stirred."
"You seem to know her really well, more than you're giving in to do."
"Ya think?" Jack raised an eyebrow looking back to the road.
"If you ask me, you're sort of crazy for her."
"What?" Jack stepped onto the brake as the traffic light in front turned red. Once again he turned around and this time he took the time to look at Serena closely for a long moment,
"Is that why you're looking like her?"
"There we go", Serena smirked, "you just gave yourself away. And no, I've always been looking like that."
"You cunning little..."
"It's green."
"Thanks."
They remained silent until they reached Sam's drive and she was already waiting for them on the sidewalk. She got into the back.
"Hi, you two."
"Hi, Sam."
"Hey, Carter", Jack was not really sure how to behave toward his friend after the talk he had had with Serena, "Had a nice evening and so on?"
"Yep, thank you", she replied, "and what about you two?"
"Not too bad, watched some TV", Jack informed her.
"Nice house Jack has there", Serena giggled.
"He does", Sam confirmed, "Prepared to have some fun this afternoon? I bet that's your first fair Serena, or?"
"It is."
Some minutes later they arrived at the place where the fair was taking place. Jack pulled into the parking lot of the near mall and they got out of the car.
"Sam? Jack?"
"Yeah, Serena?" both of them replied at once turning around at the little girl.
"I think I need to go for little girls before we can start having fun", she stated stepping from one foot to the other, "any idea where we could find a bathroom?"
"I'm sure there's one in the mall", Jack answered.
"Anybody coming with me? I'm afraid to get lost", she glanced up at Sam twinkling at her.
"All right, I'm coming", Sam agreed, "could use it as well..."
"Okay, girls, I'm waiting here for ya, don't rush it..." , Jack sighed.
As Serena wanted to wash her hands she could not reach the basin owing to her shrinked height.
"Sam, I'm too small. Could you help me?"
"Oh", Sam frowned, "what can we do there?"
Then she had an idea turning over an unused trashcan lifting Serena up so that she could easily reach the faucet with her short arms.
"Thank you, Sam."
"You're welcome."
"Sam, can I ask you something?" Serena gave her opposite the sweetest smile she had to offer.
"Yep. Go ahead", Sam grinned back at her.
"Jack told me so much about you in his dream, about how much he likes and admires you. Now it'd really interest what you are thinking about him."
"Well, first of all he's the CO of my team, then he's really a pleasant guy, always funny having a comment up his sleeve. That way he tries to hide how intelligent he actually is and throughout the years we've become really close friends..."
"That's strange", Serena frowned.
"What exactly?" Sam handed her some paper towels.
"You're not mates?", she pondered, "All the time I was sure that you were missing Jack like a wife missing her beloved husband. And there has just been this certain glow in your eyes."
"When you're in the military, you can't really afford loving someone. Especially not your commanding officer", Sam responded emotionlessly, but to Serena it sounded even a bit sad.
Serena jumped down from her pedestal, "Let's go."
On the way out she whispered to Sam, "I didn't know that. But can't you just be a little more romantic, just a tiny, little bit?"
Sam merely sighed in response and the two of them returned to Jack without another word to say.
In this silence Serena made a decision for herself: She would do everything she could to change this fruitless attitude and if she had to use all her remaining magical powers for this purpose.
So, slowly I'm picking up some drive. Hopefully the chapters that are yet to follow will bring some more fresh breeze into the story.
Anyway I'm glad you're happy about the sequel...