Chapter 7 - Games

"Where did Daniel go?" Jack asked as he went back outside. "Or Teal'c?"

"Daniel is taking Freya around the neighborhood and explaining what everything means," Aldwin replied as he was refilling some of the candy bowls. "She's taking notes."

"Wow. That sounds really boring."

"Teal'c is doing his own tour, going from party to party. Malek and I are about to do the same…after he's done doing…something. I don't know. He was annoyed with people talking about him. Yosuuf might follow us."

"Frederick has many questions," Yosuuf added in annoyance as she shot Aldwin a look. "Your husband had to tell people about the plane crash."

"How is that my fault?"

"He's not here to complain to, and you didn't help by telling them how long we were gone."

"You have knights," Jack pointed out. "Have them run inference."

"They won't unless he's a threat…" She touched the back of her neck. "And someone isn't helping."

"Why not?"

"He tried talking to Amb, but he was glared away. She suggests we do the same." She sighed, obviously not wanting to be so rude.

"Gete, why don't you help?"

"Then he'll want to talk to me."

"You like talking to people," Jack replied as Yosuuf left.

"I heard what he asked Yosuuf. I didn't understand most of his questions. I can't answer what I did understand, and I don't want to cause another commotion. They are still talking about us."

Jack looked around. "Right now?"

"Yes." He gestured to a few groups.

"You should not have mentioned the three years."

"It's not as if that hasn't happened before." He saw people looking towards him with that. He cursed in Goa'uld, then walked away.

"I sort of feel sorry Mark tomorrow," Jacob said as he approached. "He's going to be bombarded with questions. I'm considering staying an extra day to help."

"That might be a good idea, but for now, I'll go talk to Frederick myself."

"Good luck."

Jack grinned as he left. It took a few minutes before he saw Frederick talking to Martouf, who held the most uncomfortable smile.

"Oh, I know that grin," he said to himself in amusement before approaching. "Martouf, I think Sam was looking for you."

"I have to go then," Martouf excused, giving Jack a look of thanks before leaving.

"His wife?" Frederick asked. "She's not in the direction he went.

"Yeah. He'll find her. Uh, you gotta leave them alone. You aren't going to get anything out of them anyway."

"They all seem really interesting. I mean. That plane thing. And not knowing about television shows. What's up with that?"

"Not everyone watches tv."

"And those costumes. They must have spent hundreds of dollars, but they don't know about carving pumpkins?"

"They asked?"

"The other frowny guy did." He pointed to Malek, who was at a table with others, carving a pumpkin.

"Oh."

"I wasn't trying to bother them."

"No, but…" Jack sighed. "They are here to learn, to spend time with Mark. They don't get out a lot."

He frowned.

"So…stop."

"Will you give them my apologies?"

"Yeah, I could do that."

"Thank you." He left.

Jack approached Malek.

"These instruments are not very precise," Malek said. "Are we making pies later?"

"Pies?"

He pointed to a large trash clan with pumpkin guts.

"No. It's just thrown away."

"That's a waste of food."

Jack shrugged. "What are you making?"

"I will show you when I am done."

"Has anyone else made one? Jack grabbed a pumpkin and began cutting.

"No."

"Is Gete going to carve one?" Jack asked.

"He is too intoxicated to be handling knives."

"What?" Jack looked back to Mark's house. "I just talked to him. He seemed fine."

Malek tapped the back of his head to indicate why Aldwin was the one in control.

"He can do that?"

"To a degree."

"What are you guys talking about?" A neighbor asked.

"He sobers quickly," Jack lied before looking back to Malek. "So, coffee is bad, but you guys are fine with alcohol?"

"I do not prefer it, but I have…tolerated it on occasion."

Jack grinned, wondering what that meant exactly.

Malek made some final cuts on the design before making air vents. He put the candle inside. He used a long lighter to light it. He sprinkled cinnamon on the bottom of the top, which smelled good when it was placed.

"So, what did you carve?"

"My husband," he answered. He turned the pumpkin to show a detailed image of Gete. Malek had not, for the most part, cut through. He had made the wall thin enough for light to come through. The only part that was cut made Jack smile.

"You made his eyes glow."

Malek grinned.

Jack continued working as Malek put his pumpkin on display with the others.

-x-x-x-x-

Lantash was baffled as he watched children beating on a decoration with a stick.

"It's a piñata," Daniel said as he and Anise approached. "Candy comes out of it.

"Daniel has informed me that it is not usually a Halloween custom," Anise added.

Suddenly, the chainsaw guy came running in and hollering. All the kids ran away laughing and screaming. He waved the blade around, then acted like he was going slice open the piñata.

"I…want…candyyy!" He yelled as absolutely nothing happened. The piñata only swayed slightly.

A tiny girl ran up and offered him candy.

"Oh. Thanks," he said in surprise, breaking character so he wouldn't scare her.

She grinned and bounced, feeling so brave.

He took the candy and ran off so the kids could keep hitting the piñata.

"Oh, look. The three year old didn't run," Anise said teasingly.

"I'm four," the girl corrected with a pout as she stomped a foot.

"See? She's four," Lantash replied.

Anise laughed.

Lantash shook his head and left. He quickly found Aldwin throwing bean bags into a witches mouth.

"Someone's swimming in alcohol," he said with a grin.

Aldwin chuckled as he focused intently on the next throw.

"Isn't this a child's game?"

"I am embracing the holiday," he said as he threw, hitting his target. He grinned, then got another bag. He focused very hard.

"Did you see pumpkin Gete?" Lantash asked just as he threw. It distracted him enough to miss.

Aldwin glared, then walked over to pick up the bag. "I get another try." He looked to the witch. "What is pumpkin Gete?"

"Malek carved you on a pumpkin."

"Huh. I'm sure I look great."

"You'll see it later. He's going to take it home to eat, which people thought was funny, and I have no idea why."

Aldwin shrugged as he threw his last bag.

Mark approached the two, holding two plastic glasses of wine. "Dad said you would like-"

"Chocolate alcohol?" He gasped, taking the offered drink.

That smells sickening sweet, Lantash thought.

"Not interested?" Mark asked, seeing that Lantash looked disgusted.

"Thank you." Aldwin sipped.

That is disgusting! Gete thought.

"It smells…very sweet," Lantash replied.

"It is," Aldwin replied. "I like it though."You like chocolate.

We might as well be drinking a cup of chocolate syrup with a shot of vodka. How can you, my symbiote, my healer and protector, be putting that into my body?

Aldwin laughed. Maybe someone else will like it better instead.

Gete grumbled. Just finish it quickly. It was only fair. He drank a cup of the punch that Aldwin had hated.

Aldwin drained the glass.

Urgh!

"Yosuuf," Mark greeted, offering her the other glass. "Did you just go out of your way to avoid the chainsaw?"

"Your wife warned me that he has a tendency to go after those who have been drinking," she replied as she took the glass. "Thank you."

"Probably not the wisest move, but yeah, he does."

She smelled the drink. "This would taste good with my tea."

"I think there's still some in my fridge," Mark said.

Why didn't we do that? Gete asked.

Aldwin shrugged.

She looked around.

Mark gestured to a man in a costume shirt, eating some chicken. "Billy taking a break. You're good."

She left.

Lantash approached Billy.

"Man, you are fast," Billy said as Lantash sat down. "I was going to chase you longer, but you were-" He jabbed his hand in the air. "Fffff. Gone."

Lantash grinned.

"You run?"

"Yes. In nature," Lantash as Martouf suggested that he also return the question. "Do you also run?"

"I knew you had to be a runner. Yes, I run every day. I'm not as fast as I used to be, but it's still fun. Around the neighborhood. Do you have a favorite trail?"

"No. I just run."

"Get some alone time?"

"Someone usually comes with me."

"He likes to take our daughter," Sam said as she approached. She was holding Malika. The Viking bodyguard was nearby.

"Soon, she'll be old enough to run with me." He grinned.

"Well. I'm going back in costume." Billy said as finished his chicken. "Help yourself to some food and drinks."

"It was nice meeting you," Sam said.

"You too." He waved and left.

"Samantha?"

"Yes?" She thumbed the back of his neck, smiling as he closed his eyes, then retreated to feel her hand better.

"Are those people eating fruit on strings?" Martouf asked.

"Apples, yes."

Martouf looked as people were laughing as they attempted to hurriedly eat hanging apples. They spun as the apples spun.

"Time!" A woman dressed as a Vulcan called out, and they all stopped.

"That is…interesting," he said as the apples were inspected.

"We have a winner!" The Vulcan announced, giving chocolate to a teenager.

"The prize is chocolate?" Martouf asked. "There are bowls of chocolate everywhere."

Sam laughed. "It's a king size."

He frowned.

"It's bigger, and It's not about the prize." She grinned. "Actually, I came here to ask if you wanted to race. They are starting one soon. A mummy race."

"A what?"

"It's a race to prove your grace and speed."

"That sounds interesting."

-x-x-x-

Martouf watched as he and others were wrapped in party streamers. Sam had joined him since she got him into it.

"We have to get to the finish line without ripping it," Anise said.

"That will be a challenge."

We look ridiculous, Lantash thought.

You put wings on me.Martouf countered, though he didn't actually care anymore.

You were perfectly fine with the wings until Samantha warned us.

You made me run from a plastic toy.

It was fun, and look Aldwin and Mark have joined us. See if you can get Malek to join us.

He doesn't look like it.

Use your hosting charms.

Martouf laughed. "Amb, You won't be joining us?"

"I will pass."

"It'll be more fun with you."

He seemed to be considering it.

"We can dance after," Aldwin offered.

Malek smiled. "For a dance."

They waited for a few more minutes as Malek and others were wrapped. Daniel watched from the side, not budging when Anise asked him to join.

"I always end up ripping it," he excused.

Yosuuf came to watch, shaking her head when invited.

"Very unusual."

Daniel suspected that Garshaw was in control.

"It reminds me of a similar game that children play. Their feet were tied together."

"How did they move?"

"Children are very good at hopping. They also wiggled and rolled." She closed her eyes briefly, giving Yosuuf control. "I was quite skilled, and the prize was…berries." She smiled in memory. "Three berries. Sometimes even four berries." She knew Daniel was itching to write this down somewhere.

The race started, and everyone made tiny steps towards the finish line. Martouf thought he was doing quite well until the paper fell from his arms.

It ripped.

He looked to see what others were doing, seeing that they usually just gave up, but others ran to the line just to have finished it. He took the running approach, joining Aldwin.

"It ripped at my feet," Aldwin said as he pushed the paper off himself.

"Me too," Sam said as she joined them. "I was falling behind, so I tried to rush.

Anise and Malek were still in the race, but falling behind. Malek tried to speed up, only to make the same mistake as Sam. The hot dog almost arrived, but it ripped at his arms. Billy was doing quite well, chainsaw included, but not at the front. Then the winner was…

"Tina!"

"Yea!" She hopped and jumped.

Sam smiled. "Congratulations."

"That's not fair," Tom said. "She's been running around like that all day."

Mark caught up with his daughter. "What did you get?"

She smiled as she showed off the king size Twix.

"Great job." He looked to Tom, who was still frowning. "You could always be a merboy next year."

"I'll pass," he replied.

Jacob approached, smiling as Tina bounced. "Congratulations."

"You should have joined us, Grandpa."

"I preferred watching. I took pictures."

"Thank you," Malek replied sarcastically, knowing he was in the pictures.

"You had fun," he replied as he showed him his picture.

Malek took the phone to look at it. Jacob had gotten him, Gete, Martouf, and Sam. He smiled a bit, realizing how much he was going to love this picture after they were gone. Just a silly, fun moment in time.

It is a nice picture, Amb thought.

I'm sorry, he thought, knowing that his thoughts had gone a bit morbid.

The idea of you cherishing a picture of me, long after I am gone, makes me happy.

I love you.

And I love you. I want you to to live a full and

happy life after me.

To be continued…