AN: This is a long chapter but I couldn't write it shorter. Enjoy!

Chapter 3. Let's Have Some Fun!

A few days later, SG-1 was sitting around the briefing room after listening to Dr. Jackson give reasons for the next mission. They were all still a bit down from the news about "their show's" cancellation.

Daniel asked, "Has anyone seen what the count is for the online petition?"

"118,000. Which is amazing for the short amount of time since it was started." Sam smiled.

"Indeed." Teal'c was impressed, even though you couldn't tell by the look on his face.

Cam said, "I think my favorite episodes were the Halloween ones. They were always good for a laugh."

"Halloween?" Vala had no idea what Cam was talking about but that wasn't unusual. Being an alien from another planet, she missed a lot of the references the team made.

"Yeah, you know, 'Trick or Treat,' candy, costumes..." Cam looked at her expectantly.

"No, I don't know. Daniel, what is he talking about?"

"Oh, that's right. You don't know about that," Cam said.

Daniel thought, 'Oh, this should be fun!' "I'll tell you what, he said. Come on over tonight and I'll show you the Halloween episodes. You'll see what we're talking about. I'll take you home after work and we can watch them together."

'Any chance to have some time alone with Daniel is alright with me,' Vala thought.

Sam said, "We always have a party here at the base. It's a lot of fun. Remember a few years back when Janet dressed as Nefertiti? She was so cute with that little costume she had on."

"Yeah, I remember." Daniel looked nostalgic and smiled. He'd had a little too much beer before he'd arrived at the base that night. Good thing Jack was driving. He remembered he made a pass at Janet and the next thing he knew, he was at her house making out on the couch. He couldn't remember what he'd dressed up as but she sure remembered her in her long white dress and her black wig and all that eye makeup.

"What do you mean, she dressed up as Nefertiti?" Vala really was confused now as she watched Daniel staring off in the distance, obviously preoccupied with some memory.

"Okay," Daniel said as he seemed to snap out of his trance, "Every year, we have a holiday called, 'Halloween,' and kids dress up in costumes and go from house to house begging for candy. We have a party here at the SGC and we all dress in costumes. It's a lot of fun."

"I'll help you find a costume, Vala. Halloween is a few weeks away so we have plenty of time to come up with something," Sam said.

Vala looked bewildered but agreed to play along.

0 0 0

Later that afternoon, Daniel noticed that Vala looked tired. She'd been helping him with a particularly difficult translation and when he looked at the clock, he decided it was time to head for home. Ever since joining the team, she'd been a lot of help. Having first hand knowledge of all things Goa'uldish really came in handy. He'd learned to appreciate her for her hard work. She rarely complained about it and was just as exhausted as he was at the end of the day.

"Vala, would you like to quit for the day and head to my place? We can stop for some Chinese take-out on the way?"

She agreed and by the time they got to Daniel's house, they were both starving! The smells from the food cartons were wonderful and it wasn't long before they had plates, forks and drinks set on the coffee table in the living room. Daniel looked through his DVD collection and found the episodes regarding Halloween and started the first one called, 'Treehouse of Horror'. Before long, he was grinning at the antics of the characters but he noticed that Vala wasn't laughing.

"What's wrong, Vala?"

"Nothing. I just don't understand what this is about."

'This must seem really foreign for her. She never had anything like this when she was growing up. Wow, she's really missed out on some fun stuff.'

"Okay, as an anthropologist, I'm sure I can explain what this is all about."

He got out some books and showed her the origins of the holiday and how things had changed over the centuries. She listened quietly and enjoyed the lecture. Daniel was in rare form when he was talking about something he was really interested in. Many hours later, after a lot of questions and explanations, and after they'd finished watching all the Halloween episodes that they could fit in for an evening, they decided it was time for him to drive her back to the base. Daniel had a better appreciation of what her childhood had been like and Vala seemed able to understand what the holiday meant.

"I think the party might be fun, after all, now that I know what it's about. Thanks, Daniel."

"Hey, it's alright. I'm glad to help." He was, too. He found that the evening had been very enjoyable and they got along quite well.

0 0 0

On the day of the party, the team showed up at the base and went about their work. Later thatafternoon, Daniel excused himself from his office and headed for his quarters. Sam came into his lab and noticed that Vala was alone.

"Where'd he go?" She looked around but didn't see him there.

"He said he had to get ready. I asked him what he was dressing up as and he said he couldn't tell me, that I'd have to wait."

"That sound's interesting. Are you ready to go back to my place and get dressed for the party?"

Vala smiled. It was nice having Sam as a friend. This was something she'd lacked in all her years as a renegade. They chatted amiably on their way out of the base and to Sam's house.

0 0 0

The SGC staff had cleared out a large storage room on the 24th floor and some had decorated it for the event. There were fake cobwebs strung all over the walls, rubber bats and paper skeletons hung from the ceiling and the overhead lights were turned off. Special lighting was used to create a spooky atmosphere and a gate technician was doing duty as a DJ and playing "Monster Mash".

The place was crowded and busy by the time Cam walked in. He had on a fake mustache, fake eyeglasses and a suit and carried around a small pocket Bible. He noticed Carolyn come in and thought she looked interesting in her costume. But then, she looked nice in anything she wore, he thought. Either way, the short green dress and the blue wig gave her away as Marge Simpson.

General O'Neill walked in and he didn't seem to be dressed up as anyone in particular. He headed over to the punch table and then walked up to Cam and inquired, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Ned Flanders, here, how do you doodley do!"

"Very funny! I see Dr. Lam is a vampire. That seems appropriate with her drawing blood all the time. Anyone else from the team show up yet?"

"No, I don't think so. Daniel has been holed up in his quarters for the last few hours but he will probably show up soon. I wonder what could possibly be taking him this long to get ready?"

"There's T, I think," Jack said. He looked across the room and noticed that Teal'c was wearing a doctor's white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. 'I think I know who he is.'

"T, are you Doctor Hibbert, from 'The Simpson's'?

"Indeed, O'Neill. And who are you dressed up as?"

"I'll wait to tell when everyone gets here. Saves me having to repeat myself."

"Yeah," Cam said, looking over General O'Neill's outfit. Jack was dressed in blue jeans, a plaid shirt and a leather bomber jacket. He didn't look any different than any other time he was out of uniform. "I can see you took a lot of time, sir."

"Just wait… you'll see."

They turned towards the doorway, just in time to see Sam enter the room. A few conversations stopped and some of the group cheered as she walked in.

She had her blond hair done up in spikes and had a blue bow tied on top. She was wearing a short red dress, red shoes and large white beads around her neck.

"Lisa!" Jack laughed and went over to her and gave her a thumbs up. "That's great! You really went all out!"

"How did you get your hair to do that?" Cam was really impressed. Sam was pretty, even dressed up as Lisa Simpson.

"That's perfect," Carolyn said as she walked up and greeted Sam. "I thought about dressing up as Lisa, but I didn't have a red dress in my closet and I couldn't see the point of going out and buying one for just one night.

"I had this one hanging around," Sam said. "I haven't worn it in a while and the style is definitely old but it still fit, so I thought, why not? Jack, what are you dressed up as?"

"I'm not telling 'til the whole team is here. Where is Vala? Didn't she go home with you?"

"She did. She's a little nervous about this. She said they never did anything like this on her planet and she feels kinda silly. Wait 'til you see her. She's really something!"

A few minutes later, Daniel made his entrance. He was dressed in a red, short sleeved shirt and blue shorts. His hair had been died blond and was sticking straight up in the air. He sailed into the room on a skateboard and as he did, the whole room turned and cheered and applauded. It was obvious that he was dressed as 'Bart Simpson,' and he really looked the part.

"Oh Man! I can't believe you died your hair!" Jack said as Daniel stepped off the back of his skateboard and flipped it up and caught it. Even Teal'c smiled as he observed his friend.

"It's temporary, believe me. I wouldn't use the permanent stuff," Daniel said.

"You look great! I kinda like the blond look, Daniel. It makes you look younger," Sam said as she gave him a pat on the back

"No, it makes me look like a middle aged man TRYING to look younger. It's not for me."

They all laughed at his funny remark and Carolyn and Cam went over to get some cookies for everyone. Just as they returned with a tray full of goodies, Vala stepped into the room.

After hearing Daniel's explanation a few weeks before, about this night, she'd put a lot of thought into her costume. She'd gone online and read a number of Daniel's books before she came up with a decision, and she hoped it was the right one.

"Oh my!" was all Daniel could say, as she walked into the room. He would have dropped his glass of punch if Jack hadn't taken it from his hands. His mouth was hanging open and he was speechless. Sam looked around the room and noticed that most of the men had the same reaction.

Vala had on a long, slim blue gown and gold slippers. She had a collar around her neck that looked Egyptian in style. Daniel thought, 'Is that authentic?' Her long black hair had been done up gracefully with waves framing her face. Her eyes were outlined in black, but not too much, just enough to accent them. Red lipstick and a soft pink rouge finished her makeup. She had arm bands around her biceps and was carrying a gold staff.

Daniel gulped. "Is that..."

"Cleopatra," Sam finished his sentence for him. She smiled at the look on Daniel's face. He was totally besotted and Sam could understand why. Vala was a beautiful woman to begin with, but all they saw her in on a daily basis was the shapeless BDU's they all wore. They'd seen her in other clothing before (who could forget the black leather she'd first showed up at the SGC in?) but never something quite this feminine and beautiful.

Daniel's face was flushed and Jack handed back his drink and said, "Breathe, Danny. The night's early and you don't want to end up in the infirmary for lack of oxygen."

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off Vala as he said, "Very funny, Jack."

Vala stepped up to the team and smiled. "I hope I didn't overdo it. I've never been to a party like this and I wasn't sure about it."

"No, you look great! Really... great." Daniel couldn't find the words to describe how she looked, which was really saying something for the linguist.

Carolyn noticed how flustered Daniel was and nudged Cam. "I think we need more drinks. Come along, Flanders."

But, before they could walk away, Jack said, "Okay, kids! Now that we're all here..."

"Hold on there, General O'Neill." The voice was familiar as they all turned to look as General Hammond walked into the room. He had on slacks and a short sleeved white shirt.

"HOMER!" Jack yelled as the whole group clapped and cheered. "I didn't expect you here, George! Welcome back!"

"Thanks, Jack. I couldn't miss this one. I was visiting my granddaughters, anyway. I heard all the commotion about the show being canceled and decided I needed an evening of fun. I knew you'd like the costume. Didn't cost me a thing, neither. I already had the clothes in my closet."

"Good choice, sir," Sam said. "You really look the part. All you need is a donut."

"I thought about it but decided not to. It would be too sticky to carry around all night. And I sure wouldn't want to eat it. I've been trimming down, lately."

"We've noticed, sir. You look like you're feeling good," Sam mentioned.

"I am," he said, as he walked over to another group to say 'hello'.

Carolyn and Cam got enough drinks for everyone and then Cam asked Jack, "Sir, what are you dressed up as? I just don't see that as a costume."

Jack looked around the group and said, "MacGyver."

"You've got to be kidding!" Sam yelled as she almost choked on her drink.

"Don't laugh, Carter." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a roll of duct tape, a D-cell battery and a stick of gum. "With this, I could build a bomb strong enough to blow up Cheyenne Mountain."

"Who is MacGyver?" Vala was confused, as always.

"Teal'c, you have the DVD's right? Maybe you could take the time to explain it to her," Jack said.

"Indeed. I would be happy to discuss this with Vala Mal Doran."

The two of them went over to some chairs and sat down, discussing the television show, in some detail. Teal'c was working on buying the whole MacGyver collection of DVD's.

"I always liked Richard Dean Anderson. I had a crush on him when I was at the Academy," Sam said.

Jack looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "Really? I never could quite see what attracted people to that show. I thought it was kinda dumb myself."

"Thanks a lot, sir" Sam looked truly offended and Jack hurried up and tried to make amends.

"I mean, the guy's haircut was so weird. And he did things that you couldn't really do..." Jack kept trying but Sam still glared at him.

"I'll have you know, the things he did on that show were tested and were scientifically sound."

"If you say so..." Jack really didn't want to get into an argument with her here at the party. Or, anywhere, for that matter.

"SO, Jack," Cam said, "Why MacGyver, if you didn't like the show?"

"Well, I had the clothes, much like General Hammond had his. I figured that a lot of people here would be dressed as "The Simpson's" characters. I thought I'd go for something different."

"Well, you had us fooled," Cam said. You don't look anything like Richard Dean Anderson."

"I know, but hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I think you look just fine, sir." Carolyn had liked the show. She thought Anderson had been quite cute in it, too.

"Thank you, Doctor." Jack was relieved that the tension had dropped down a notch. He didn't want Sam angry with him.

Teal'c and Vala returned shortly after and she no longer looked confused.

Daniel put his cup down on a table and asked Vala to dance. He blushed a bit when she looked up at him but smiled when she said she would love to.

"Am I reading more into this or does it look like Daniel has taken a certain interest in Vala tonight?" Jack watched the two of them slow dance and noticed they were chatting about something and laughing quietly.

"You have to admit, sir, she's very pretty tonight." Sam glanced over to the couple and smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose. I thought he didn't like her, though."

"Well, lately his attitude seems to be changing. She's been more cooperative since joining SG-1. She doesn't aggravate him as much as she used to. She's really quite nice and a lot of fun when she lets her guard down."

"If you say so."

At that moment, Harriman walked up and said hello. He was dressed in a brown suit.

"Walter, who are you dressed up as tonight?" Cam asked and then took a sip from his punch.

"Smithers, sir."

"As in Mr. Burns assistant, Smithers?"

"Yes, sir. I was told I remind some people here of him. I guess my following General Hammond around all these years made me look the part."

"Yeah, now that you mention it...," Jack said.

Daniel and Vala returned to the group and Daniel asked Walter for the latest news.

"Well, sir. I just checked on the internet. There are 233,000 signatures on the petition to keep the show on the air. The exec's said they are pleased that people like the show but there's nothing they can do. Last count, they had over a million beer cans show up at their offices. They had to have a special tractor/trailer haul them all away. It really stunk up the place, too. But, it didn't make a difference. They still plan on canceling."

Jack was deeply disappointed. 'I wish there was something more we could do.'

"I'm sorry, Sir," Sam said when she noticed the look on his face. "I know how much this means to you."

"Well, I think we've done all we can," Cam said.

"Jack, I heard they plan on releasing the movie next summer." Daniel hoped that would cheer his friend up.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same as watching a new episode each week."

"I know. I don't like the thought of waiting a year or two to see a new movie. They did that with Star Trek and it's been successful for the studios but it's not the same.

"Were you a Trekkie, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"No, but my room mate in college was. The guy used to go to all the conventions and dress up in costumes. I never saw the point of going to those but hey, to each his own, right?"

Later in the evening, the crowd grew thinner and the team decided it was time to go home. Vala had a very nice time and slow danced with a lot of the single men. Daniel noticed but didn't say anything as he'd danced with her quite a bit, too. Sam left with Jack as he needed a ride to the airport. Carolyn and Cam had disappeared earlier and nobody knew where they had gone off to.

After a bit, Daniel walked Vala to her room and said 'good night,' quietly. He stopped a moment to look at her but then walked away towards his quarters. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

Vala noticed that he seemed a bit off balance. 'I wonder what's going on in that head of his? I thought he liked my costume but he didn't say much.'

Everyone still was sad about the news that their plans to revive their favorite TV show hadn't worked, but they'd all had a good time. Maybe it was time to move on.

To be continued...