Author's Note: Thanks for all of your reviews and a special thank you to Bryan Peters and Deamon Fire for their suggestions, which are being used in this chapter.
Chapter Ten
"Ow!" Daniel yelped as the small projectile struck his shin. "Sam!"
"Sorry, Daniel."
"Try again." Jack instructed, grinning as Martouf had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit himself.
Since insisting that Martouf remain on base despite being medically cleared would not exactly be beneficial for their fledgling alliance with the Tok'ra, there hadn't been much Jack could do to dissuade him from accompanying them.
If the look on his face was any indication, however, he was probably wishing that he was safely back at the SGC.
And to think he had wanted to reject Daniel's idea of taking little Sam to play miniature golf.
He crouched down next to the little girl, gently correcting the grip she had on the child-sized golf club she held. "Not so tight - and maybe it would be better if you kept your eyes open." He added, seeing her screw them tightly shut.
Daniel ducked as the golf ball – thankfully lighter than usual – collided with the nose of the large model of a clown and rebounded, coming within inches of breaking his own nose.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…"
"Daniel!" Jack scowled at him, motioning for him to be quiet.
"I didn't do it right." Sam said, dismayed.
"No, no, you're doing fine – right, Teal'c?"
The Jaffa nodded solemnly. "Indeed. You have just begun to learn this activity, Samantha. I have no doubt that you will soon master it."
"Really?"
"Really." Jack confirmed. "Just try hitting it a little more gently this time, maybe you could try to imagine how the ball can hit the sides so that it goes through the clown's mouth, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Do or do not, there is no 'try'."
"There is when you're four." Jack said in a low voice.
Little Sam looked as focused on the golf game as her adult self had ever been on a technical or scientific problem, her eyes narrowing as she estimated the distance between her and her target, and the obstacles in between, thankfully too preoccupied with this to notice either Daniel or Martouf moving a safe distance away for fear of injury.
Much to her delight, the ball rebounded against the side of the track and flew into the clown's open mouth, his nose glowing as it did.
"It worked!" She exclaimed triumphantly.
"I knew that you'd be able to do it."
"I also had no doubts."
Jack and Teal'c received joyous hugs as thanks for their words of support.
Jack shook his head at the other two men in mock reproach. "And to think that you doubted her."
"I will not make that mistake a second time." Martouf vowed earnestly. "May I take a turn at this game?"
"Sure." Jack took a surreptitious step backwards, taking Sam with him. Both Teal'c and Daniel seemed to think it prudent to do the same.
A few seconds later, another patron of the golf course cried out in pain and surprise when a ball collided forcefully with his shoulder and was only slightly mollified by the Tok'ra's apology.
Jack bent down to Sam's level. "Maybe you should try giving Marty some lessons." He suggested in a whisper that wasn't quiet low enough.
He was rewarded with a beaming smile from the little girl and a somewhat disgruntled look from the Tok'ra.
Lunch
Conscious of the fact that his distorted voice would, at minimum, draw some very curious looks, Lantash had not taken control all day, however he was making his presence felt in other ways.
Daniel's stomach churned at the sight of Martouf's meal of choice but he retained enough tact to keep quiet about it.
Jack did not.
"You know, you're supposed to wait until after you eat real food before you go for that."
"I do not understand." Martouf looked up from the giant ice cream sundae he had constructed, puzzled. "How is this any less real than any other form of food?"
"Jack means that ice cream has much less nutritional value than what the rest of us are eating." Daniel translated helpfully.
As they were eating pizza, this was a bit of a stretch but Martouf didn't know that.
"Lantash enjoys foods that contain sugar. We do not encounter them often. He especially enjoyed the chocolate Jacob provided."
"You know my daddy?" Sam looked up at the sound of the name.
"I do."
"Your dad is on a mission with Martouf's people, a very important one." Jack told her. "Isn't he?"
"He is. Your father is a very wise leader for our cause, Samantha."
"Will I be able to see him soon?"
"Hopefully." Jack assured her, although he would have been able to live without the older man learning of his daughter's latest exploit until she was safely back to normal.
Either Martouf or Lantash decided that their sundae did not have enough chocolate sprinkles on it, and Martouf stood, carrying it back over to the Make Your Own Sundae stand, not seeing the dirty looks one or two staff members, not to mention a few parents, were giving him.
"Why does Martouf get to eat his dessert before his dinner?" In Sam's book, this was a grave injustice.
"Uh… they do things a bit differently where he comes from." Daniel explained lamely.
"Yeah, they eat their dessert before their dinner, their supper before their breakfast, they sleep during the day and stay up all night and everyone has two people in their body instead of one." Jack finished cheerfully.
"If I go there, can I eat dessert first?" Sam asked, zeroing in on the parts of Jack's explanation that appealed to her. "And stay up all night?"
"Sure, why not?" Jack agreed magnanimously.
In the unlikely event that the little girl actually traveled to a Tok'ra base, he could always leave her to Jacob or Martouf's care and let them take care of any problems.
The carnival had opened at four and half an hour later, the place was packed.
"Maybe we need a buddy system." Jack suggested, only half joking, when he saw the crowds. "Sam, don't let go of my hand, okay?"
"I won't." She promised solemnly.
Teal'c took her free hand. "I will also remain vigilant, O'Neill."
"Thanks, buddy. You two can stick close together." Jack told Daniel and Martouf, before pausing thoughtfully. "On second thoughts, maybe Teal'c should keep an eye on you both. We don't want anybody to get lost, after all."
"Are you ever going to let that go?" Daniel demanded.
Jack just grinned. "Someday."
Later
Maybe you should try to take it easy on the sugar." Daniel recommended, watching as Martouf polished off a stick of cotton candy, another one held in his other hand waiting to be consumed.
"There is no need." Martouf assured him. "Lantash ensures that I will not suffer any ill effects."
"Yes, but Sam doesn't have a symbiote to do the same for her." Daniel said patiently. "And we can't really say that she can't eat junk food if the adults are."
"I understand." Martouf looked a little disappointed, but he obligingly handed his second portion of cotton candy to Daniel, who disposed of it in the nearest trashcan. Martouf was silent for a few moments, arguing with Lantash, who was less than pleased at being deprived of his sugar. His eyes flashed for a spilt second, shooting Daniel a filthy look.
"What was that about?" Daniel asked, bewildered.
"Lantash was not pleased when you threw away his food." Martouf explained apologetically. "He is demanding that I consume more."
"Well, tell him that you can't." Daniel hissed, seeing Sam approach, holding tightly to Jack and Teal'c's hands. "Sam's a handful after too much sugar, to say the least."
Martouf said nothing for another brief period, looking up at Daniel with a slightly fearful expression on his face. "Lantash is angry. He told me to tell you that he is – how do you say it? – 'on strike'."
"Can he do that?"
"He can."
"Having fun, you two?" Jack asked genially as soon as he reached them.
"You could say that." Daniel responded. Being paired with a sugar addicted Tok'ra hadn't been an ideal way to spend an evening, but it had definitely ranked above being soaked by over-excited penguins.
"Can I go on the bumper cars?" Sam asked, bouncing up and down in excitement as she tugged at Jack's hand. Even after several trips on the carousel and on the children's roller coaster, her energy was undiminished.
"I don't think that they'll let you on on your own…" Jack said, eyeing the small cars dubiously. It probably wouldn't do his knee any good to squeeze into one of them, but the word 'no' was becoming increasingly difficult to say.
"I will accompany you, Samantha." Teal'c volunteered, taking her hand.
"You don't know how to drive." Jack's protest went unheard.
Once they were settled in the small car, with the seatbelts securely fastened, Teal'c grasped the steering wheel in strong hands, frowning when it didn't move.
"How do I make this vehicle move?"
Sam shrugged. "I don't know."
"Perhaps if I were to try this…" Teal'c trod on the pedal as hard as he could, sending the car careening into the side of the enclosure.
Watching, Jack winced. "That had to hurt!"
Standing next to him, Martouf groaned, a hand to his stomach. "I do not feel healthy." He announced before retching.
Jack scowled at the stained grass next to him. "Wonderful."
By the time the little group had made it back to the SGC, Sam was nursing a bruised elbow while Teal'c had a lump on his forehead and Martouf had turned almost green.
General Hammond surveyed the group with mingled concern, amusement and exasperation. "Do I want to know what happened?"
Jack grimaced slightly. "I doubt it."
TBC.