And the Ferris Wheel Holds My Heart (Openish)

[Steven Sanders]

Steven had bittersweet thoughts about the carnival that his station hosted every year for the neighborhood kids. His wife had loved it and always volunteered to do so much. She loved kids, and it always made him ache that she never got to know her own.

When the girls were little, he always made them volunteer at different booths, and the whole station, in a way, had put their hands in to help raise the girls. They still came, but with school and their different ideas of being cool now, he never expected them to help. He was just glad they came.

This year, he wasn't assigned to a specific section, but was rather supervising, keeping an eye out for his girls.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie was unusually nervous about this year's carnival. Even though her father didn't expect her to help out, she had signed up to spend a few hours working at the face painting booth, just because she liked doing it. Most people didn't know this about her, but she was very artistic, and she loved working with the children.

But this wasn't the real reason she was nervous. She hadn't told anyone, not even her sisters, but she had actually invited a boy to come to the carnival. She had invited Dierks along--although, of course, she had told him to meet her there, not to go with her. He could take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and walk to the park where the Carnival was being held.

It was not a date. Or that's what she kept telling herself, anyway. But deep down... she knew it was, kind of. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he wouldn't come. And besides, they were just friends, right? But boys and girls couldn't be friends, not really...

These were the arguments she kept having with herself, and by the time she was ready to leave for the carnival, she had worked herself up into such a state that she was feeling rather queasy. It was a good thing she was planning to go ahead of her sisters, in order to help set up the face-painting booth. If they saw her like that, there would have been too many questions. Callie would just have to hope that she would even out once she got there.

She arrived by floo to Diagon Alley and walked the rest of the way to the park. A volunteer at the gate pointed her in the direction of the face-painting booth and she headed that way, taking a look around as she did. She could see the Ferris wheel in the distance, and she shivered, wondering to herself if she could get Dierks to go up in it with her. She had a silly romantic notion (which she would have denied) of being kissed at the top of a Ferris wheel.

She was still thinking about this when she nearly ran into her father. Her cheeks flushed red, but she smiled and threw her arms around him. "Daddy!" she greeted him.

[Steven Sanders]

Steven was ready to stop his daughter from colliding with him, but she caught herself in time, and he laughed. Normally, she wasn't the spacey one, and he wondered what she was thinking about. "Hey Callisto. My God, you girls are so predictable most of the time. I somehow knew you'd show up first."

He held her in a bear hug before letting her go, and he felt himself fill with pride every time he looked at one of them.

"How are you, sweetheart?"

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie smiled, but there was a slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. Would her father think she was so predictable if he knew that she had invited a boy to meet her here? He probably expected it of Linette and Bobby, but Callie had always been rather vocal about not wanting to date.

Not that this was a date. It wasn't. Right?

"Oh, you know me too well, Daddy," she said cheerfully. "Actually, I know you said we didn't have to help out this year, but I still signed up for the face-painting booth for a few hours. I just like it."

[Steven Sanders]

Steven nodded. "I saw the volunteer list. I'm proud of you... you know that, right? Despite having me for a dad, you're turning out superbly."

He nodded, as if affirming this.

"So... Roberta told me she's bringing a boy." He left the sentence alone for a moment, as they both knew that Linette, of course, would bring a boy as she always did, and he didn't expect that Callie would be, too. "Do we know anything about him?"

He always trusted Callie to keep an eye on the other girls while they were in school because she did seem to have that protective streak in her. Quickly, he added, "And you know... if you ever wanted to bring a boy, you could. I'd just interrogate your sisters about him."

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

"Don't talk like that, Daddy," Callie said quickly. "You know you're the best father we could have ever hoped for."

She leaned in and gave him a quick hug, to reinforce this fact, but his next words made her stop, and she looked up at him in surprise. "Bobby's bringing a boy?" she repeated. "She.... she didn't tell me that."

Immediately, she was worried. There was only one reason why Bobby wouldn't have told her about bringing a boy. That was because Bobby didn't want Callie to talk her out of it. Which meant she knew Callie wouldn't approve. She was absolutely panicking for a moment, but then she allowed sanity to take hold. Maybe it was just Neil. Someone who she just thought of as a friend, and she wouldn't think it necessary to mention it to her sisters.

"Did she mention a name?" she asked hopefully.

[Steven Sanders]

Steven smiled. There was nothing like a child to make a parent feel utterly proud and perfect in the world. Things were all right, as long as his three girls were all right, no matter how he might have made mistakes with them.

"Yeah, Bobby's... she's bringing a boy. I thought she'd tell you." Bobby was the one who told everyone everything- unless she needed to keep it quiet. Still, this hadn't quite sunk in for him yet, and he wasn't worried.

"No, she didn't mention a name. One of her friends, I figured. But I guess we'll see when she gets here, hm? And speaking of, where are your sisters? Are you hungry? You have a few minutes before you're scheduled at the face painting booth, and it'd be my treat."

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Really, if Callie thought about it for a second, it was silly for her to worry about who Bobby was bringing or why she hadn't told Callie about it. After all, wasn't Callie doing the exact same thing? She had invited Dierks along, and although she wasn't exactly "bringing" him... he was coming because she had asked him. And she hadn't told anyone at all about it.

"You're probably right... it's probably just one of her friends," she said, relaxing a little.

She even managed a smile as her father mentioned getting something to eat. "That sounds perfect," she replied. "Maybe we could get one of those soft pretzels?"

[Linette "Linny" Sanders]

Linette had told a couple of her friends about the carnival that her dad's station had hosted. BUt for the past few years, without fail, she usually had a guy to accompaniy her. She invited Chip to join her as her date for the day.

She just finished getting ready in her dormitory when she realized that Callie, ever the efficient of the three, was probably already there. “Crap,” Linette said as she put her watch on her wrist and gave her self a once over in the mirror before running down the stairs to meet Chip in the common room.

They arrived by the Knight Bus about 20 minutes later and as Linette lead the way toward where she was supposed to meet her sisters and her dad, she laced her fingers with Chip’s and smiled at him

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

Bobby, as usual, was the last one to arrive. It wasn't that she had problems being on time, because when left to her own devices, she was always quite punctual. But when friends, or her sisters, or in this case, boys were involved, she tended to run late.

She already knew that when Callie saw who she was bringing, there was going to be a fight between them. But it was her decision, and exactly why she planned on staying well away from Callie while they were here. She was kind of amazed she even got Rabastan to come, because this sort of thing didn't seem like it would be his cup of tea, and she refused to let her sisters ruin this.

So she held her head high as she approached her father, two sisters, and Chip, with Rabastan at her side. She smiled softly when he took her hand.

Here goes, she thought.

"Hi, Daddy."

[Chester "Chip" Gardner]

Chip couldn't believe his luck at being invited to be Linette's date to the carnival. Being a fun-loving guy, he loved carnivals and thought they were the perfect kind of date. Much better than the standard dinner and a movie. Instead of sitting in the dark of a movie theater and getting shushed at everytime they tried to talk, at a carnival they were able to walk around, talk, laugh, and when they wanted to be alone, they could go on a ride and hold hands. He could play games and win stuffed animals for her, and comfort her if she got scared on a ride.

Of course, her father and sisters were going to be there as well, so he was prepared to be a perfect gentleman. He didn't think Callie liked him very much (although she didn't seem to like most people very much), and then there was her father. Linette had told him the man was a firefighter, so he must be pretty tough, and was probably pretty protective of his girls. Chip was prepared to show him that he had only the best intentions at heart.

They had just approached Mr. Sanders, who was talking with Callie, when Chip noticed someone else approaching from the other side. Bobby was coming, and with her was Rabastan Lestrange. He gripped Linette's hand tightly and nudged her. "You might want to grab hold of Callie before she kills someone," he whispered.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie was with her father, still silently trying to decide how she was going to tell him that she, too, had invited a boy to the carnival. Linny always brought a boy, and Bobby usually brought a bunch of her friends, but Callie always came alone. And even though her father had just told her that she was welcome to bring a guest along, the fact that she had never done it before made her a little nervous about his reaction.

When she first saw Linny and Chip approaching, Callie felt a tiny spark of disappointment. She never got her father all to herself, and she sort of liked having this little moment with him. But now Linny was here, with her date, and Callie would be forgotten. Which meant she probably wouldn't end up telling anyone that Dierks was coming, and they'd all be surprised to see her with him.

Before she could even react to that, however, Bobby was approaching. Luckily for everyone involved, Chip was tall enough that he blocked her view of Rabastan until they were right in front of her. As soon as she saw him, however, her jaw dropped.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said.

[Steven Sanders]

Steven had been about to say something else to Callie when his other two girls approached, and he gave her a smile, as if to say, 'we'll finish taking later.' And then he was hugging Linette and Bobby, actually pretty unconcerned with the boys they brought. They both looked clean and a nice, and until he heard differently, he was fine with them.

He was about to ask his girls to introduce their... friends? Dates? But turned to Callie, eyebrows up. "Callisto... come on." He just barely refrained from telling her that she knew better than to act like that.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Rabastan had picked his moment well. Bringing Bobby to the carnival was pretty clever, really. Because not only would Callie be here, but so would her father, and Callie always made an effort to be on her best behavior around her father. He was the only one who could keep her anger in check. And make no mistake, she was furious.

She was angry with Rabastan for pursuing Bobby, and she was even furious with Bobby for ignoring both of her sisters' warnings. At the very least, didn't she have a problem with dating a guy that her own sister had already dated?

But Daddy was there, giving her that look, and Callie couldn't do a thing. She took a very deep breath, trying to calm her anger.

"You know what? I have to go. I'm needed at the face painting booth. I'll talk to you guys later. Oh, and if you see Dierks, point him my way, will you? He's my date."

And then she walked away before she could say anything else.

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

Bobby sighed when Callie made her dramatic, angry exit. Whatever. She could be angry all she wanted to, Bobby wasn't going to feel guilty. Not today.

"Don't worry about her, Dad. She's just angry with me. She'll get over it."

Her eyes darted to Linette, and she subconsciously squeezed Rabastan's hand. Linette, at least, wasn't being all self righteous and moody about these things, so she gave her sister a smile, and then added, "Hey, Chip."

And that was it. She was eager to get away from them, so she quickly introduced Rabastan and her father, and she was ready to go. She didn't even register that Callie just mentioned bringing a date.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie was still steaming as she walked away. But her anger was rooted in fear. She was genuinely terrified of Rabastan Lestrange for so many reasons.

Her biggest fear, the only one she would admit to, was that she was afraid Rabastan would hurt Bobby. She was emotionally vulnerable and had never been in love.... and Rabastan had a certain gift for making girls fall in love with him. She had seen it before--perfectly intelligent young women falling head over heels for him, and ending up with broken hearts. It had happened two years ago with Andromeda Black, and there had been dozens of others since then. Linette had dated him, but Callie had never really been as worried about her as she now was about Bobby. Linette kept her heart distant... she dated, but she didn't fall in love. Dating was just fun for her. But Bobby took it seriously, which left her open for heartache.

But that wasn't all she was worried about. Bobby's decision to date a boy she knew her sisters didn't approve of seemed like a sign to Callie. What if Rabastan drove a wedge in between the sisters? Callie could already feel the distance growing, and it scared her. Yes, she kept secrets, such as the fact that she was bringing Dierks to the carnival; but Bobby never did. She was open and honest and innocent, and if she fell for Rabastan despite the girls' disapproval, that could change. Callie did not want to lose her sister over a boy like that.

Finally, there was the horrible, secret fear that she never told anyone. Callie was a girl, after all, and despite her seemingly anti-boy attitude, she did like boys. She didn't fail to notice a cute boy, and sometimes they made her heart flutter a little and her knees go weak. And Rabastan Lestrange was just as capable to doing that to her as he was of doing it to Bobby. Yes, she never would have admitted it out loud, but she found Rabastan very attractive. But she also knew that he was dangerous, and she would never allow herself to give in to that attraction. Especially since she felt a similar attraction to someone else. Someone who she had invited to be her date to the carnival.

She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. She had done it out of anger; a desire to show that she had her own bombshell to drop. But she felt badly about that, really. She didn't want to use Dierks in that way; she genuinely liked him and was interested to see where it would go.

By the time she reached the face painting booth, she was near tears. She hoped Dierks got here soon, because she really needed to see a friendly face.

[Dierks Brooks]

Dierks wasn't sure what time that he was really supposed to meet Callie at the carnival. He was getting a little antsy and decided that he should just head on over. If it wasn't finished being put it, Dierks figured he could lend a helping hand.

Dressing in a plaid shirt and jeans, Dierks boarded the Knight Bus. He wasn't a huge fan of the bus, but whatever got him there. In all honesty, he was just a little nervous. He was a little nervous of meeting Callie. He wasn't sure what to think of the meeting her there. Was it considered a date or was it considered just a couple of friends hanging out? Dierks knew he shouldn't spend time thinking over it so he tried to push it from his mind.

Arriving at the Carnival, Dierks didn't see Bobby or Linette. He walked around looking at a few things before slowing down as he saw a familar head. Of course there were two other girls that had similar looks, but Dierks could tell with the way she sat. "Callie," he said approaching her. He put a smile on his face. "I hope I'm not too early."

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Merlin, she was happy to see him. Since it was still early, she didn't have any kids yet at the face-painting booth, and she was just sitting there mixing paint colors when she heard his voice. Immediately, her anger was forgotten and she broke into a shy smile.

"No, actually, you're just in time," she said. "You get to be my first customer. Unless you don't want to, of course."

[Dierks Brooks]

"I'll be yer first customer," he said with a grin. Dierks ran a hand through his head full of curls. He liked her shy smile. Callie was one of those girls that Dierks saw as strong and his opinion of her wouldn't change. The shy smile on her face was cute.

"I'll even let you pick whatever you want to ter paint." He took a few steps closer to the place where she was sitting.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Her eyes followed the movement of his hand as he ran his hand through his curls, and Callie realized to her embarrassment that she was imagining what it would be like to do that herself. She looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice the way her cheeks began to turn pink.

"Are you sure about that?" she teased. "My specialty is butterflies. I could paint a nice pink butterfly with purple polka dots."