(Anon, thanks for the review. Hope to hear from you again.)

Part 5, Harvest Festival

-Day 16-

-Planet Neeria-

-'Carter'-

The walk to the town square is going to take an hour and fifteen minutes. Samantha carries a bowl of soup she and Freya made for the potluck. Gete is walking with us, though he and Freya haven't been talking. They seem to have no interest in each other actually. Gete is looking at the view more. "I haven't been this far out of town," he says. "I'm mostly in the shop all day." He turns to us. "Where is Martouf?"

I answer. "He had offered to walk us, but Samantha said no."

It would have been over two hours extra of walking for him, Samantha reminds me.

Yes, but it means more time spending with him. Gete is walking Freya to the festival.

He's enjoying the walk itself more than spending time with her.

"I'm sure he is looking forward to seeing you," Gete replies.

We switch control. Something about the way he said that makes Samantha feel the need to reply with, "We are just friends."

"Really?"

"Yes, we barely know each other. He only sees me as a friend."

Freya chuckles to Samantha's response. "Not if he looks at you like that he doesn't."

Samantha frowns. "When did he look at me like...however he was looking at me."

"At the hospital."

"Before you woke up," Gete adds. "He was worried."

That means he liked her before he even knew me. That makes me sad.

"It's nothing," Samantha insist. "He can't feel anything because he doesn't remember anything."

Freya laughs again. "Well, I just know, he never came close to looking at me like that."

Gete nods. "Just because we have amnesia, doesn't mean that there isn't some part of us that remembers just a little something." He's quiet, seeming to be in thought for a moment before blurting out, "Maybe you two are married."

Samantha shakes her head. "I doubt it, and we are just friends. We all have amnesia, we seem to be two different groups, Tok'ra and whatever Daniel and I are, and chances are none of the symbiotes are in the right hosts. The last thing any of us should do is start relationships."

That's right...well, no, actually I wouldn't mind starting a relationship with him. The history they might have is bothering me though. I'm just here, contributing nothing.

We arrive at the festival in twenty minutes. Freya and Gete go to explore the area, each on their own. So much for being each others' dates. Samantha sets our soup on the table, then turns around when she senses someone approaching.

Martouf is smiling at us. "You are very beautiful today."

"Thank you." Samantha looks over him, finding him more cute than anything, but isn't sure if he'd find 'cute' to be a good compliment. "You look very nice yourself."

"Would you like to dance?" He puts his hand out.

"Sure."

He takes her hand and brings us into the dance. After several minutes of twirling, his eyes flash.

Am I supposed to give you control? Samantha asks.

You can keep dancing. I quietly wonder to myself. If Samantha does have a relationship with Martouf, does she have one with Lantash as well? Then I wonder where Lantash is.

We dance for several more minutes before it's time to eat. Samantha picks up a plate and puts different foods on it. I give her a few suggestions. We sit at the table where the rest of the amnesiacs are sitting. Samantha notices that Gete and Freya are at least sitting together and mentions it.

Freya spears a vegetable. "I asked him to dance. He said no." It turns out 'Anise' is in control now instead of Freya.

"I danced with you once," Gete says in defense.

Daniel grins. "How was the first two weeks for everyone? Anyone remembering anything from our previous lives?" He looks around when no one response. "Me neither, but I have learned a lot from Thom. I've been studying their written language. He says I'm learning it quickly."

Samantha gives me control. "You're living with him now, right?"

Daniel nods. "Yeah, his house was built for a family. Since he is only one guy, he has extra room."

I eat a starch vegetable and realize it's the same type of vegetable Martouf gave us. It's mashed with added spices, cheese, and yogurt.

"I was hoping you'd try the mashed otats soon," Martouf says. "I made those."

I grin. "It tastes great and it is very nutritional."

He grins. "'Lantash' helped with the nutrition. He told me what herbs should be used the most, and he kept telling me not to overcook it."

Gete stops eating briefly and looks at his plate before looking at me. "Didn't Samantha say you do the same for her."

"Yes."

"Are all symbiotes like that?"

"No," 'Anise' and Amb reply on the same time.

Gete gets up, though his plate is still fairly full. I frown slightly. "You haven't finished yet."

"I'm getting dessert. In case you or 'Lantash' happen to actually be Aldwin...I'm enjoying the good food while I can." He heads directly to the dessert table.

Amb's eyes flash as he watches him briefly. "Well, he is certainly enjoying the symbiote-free life."

"He should," Daniel says, then looks embarrassed when we all look at him. "I mean, it's better than being depressed about it. Besides, it's not like he remembers being blended. He just has a name on a tag. He's like me...wakes up...no memories...not blended... Why not enjoy the uh...um...chance of learning what it's like to not be blended." He looks a bit relieved when we all return to eating.

Gete returns with a plate of crap.

That looks good, Samantha thinks.

I continue to eat dinner. I want to dance afterwards, but Samantha wants dessert. You're full.

That's because you ate a lot in hopes I wouldn't want dessert later.

That's not entirely true. I wanted to try everything, and I did, except for what we brought.

Dance now and I get to eat whatever I want later without any comments from you.

I laugh lightly to this. Very well. "Martouf, do you wish to dance."

He finished eating a few minutes before I did. Martouf hops up and grabs my hand. I smile more when Samantha tells me I get to have control through all the dances this time.

-'Malek'-

I think Gete is full because he is now just picking at his dessert and offering everyone here a bite. Amb takes a bite of cake and finds it much too sweet. He frowns as he chews.

If you aren't going to enjoy it, let me enjoy it. I get control and enjoy more cake.

"You think it means anything?" Gete asks.

I look up at him. "What?"

"The name Aldwin. Most names have some kind of meaning."

I pick up some fried batter. "I think you should forget about Aldwin."

Gete looks like I made a disgusting remark. "But he's my symbiote."

"Who currently has another host. You don't even remember him. Concentrate on other things."

Like you? Amb thinks.

I did not mean that. I glance to Freya and Daniel as they leave to the dance floor. Heh. I forgot about them.

Isn't Freya Gete's date?

Oh that's right, she is. I look to Gete. "That wasn't very nice of her."

"What?" He looks around and notices Freya and Daniel dancing. "Oh. I don't like dancing anyway."

Oh. Well, it's still rude.

"You want to play a game?" Gete asks. "Sitting here is getting boring. I think they set up games."

"Sounds good."

Gete pushes his plate away as he stands. "Maybe we can shoot at something. Being Tok'ra, we must be good at shooting."

I chuckle. "We'll have to test that theory."

-Samantha-

After dancing I am hungry again. Martouf and I go back to the table with dessert. Most of it is different types of pie. There is some cake, but people don't have much sugar here, so fruit is often used to sweeten things.

"I have no idea what this is," Martouf says as he eats a puffy thing, "but I like it."

I look at my plate. "I didn't grab one of those." Quickly I see his hand put half of the puffy thing on my plate. I pick it up and feel like I'm biting into a air. It seems to dissolve instantly, but it does taste good.

We continue to share our food until there is nothing left. He steals some from Gete's abandoned plate afterwards. "We should make an effort to see each other more often."

"That would be nice."

"There are some job offerings that take two people. We can do some of those."

"What if one of us doesn't have the skills."

"Then we'll learn." He grins. "Besides, I seem to be pretty good at farming."

"I haven't tried. I've mostly been sewing, and I haven't actually been the one sewing." We get up. "'Carter' sews. She's teaching me."

He takes my hand. "I can teach you things too."

"You going to teach me how to farm?" I ask with a smile.

"Yes, and how to...lead a dance."

"I can already do that."

"Maybe you can give me tips then." He smiles as he runs a few fingers through my hair.

I do the same for him. I run out of hair just as soon as he did. It feels kind of strange to have such short hair. Every other female here has long hair.

Yes, but you are still prettier than each of them, 'Carter' thinks.

I smile in response to 'Carter' then suddenly realize I'm being kissed. Martouf's right hand is back in my hair, and his left is on my lower back.

Kiss him back! Kiss him back!

As if I really need to be told. Not sure what to do with my hands. I feel feather-light and warm as he pulls away.

So we still "just friends" with him?

Shut up.

'Carter' takes control and returns the kiss. Martouf's manners seem to become more gentle during the second kiss. Did they switch control?

Yep.

The second kiss ends. Aw. 'Carter' is still in control and leads them to the dance floor. This time Martouf and 'Lantash' follow our lead. Martouf playfully resists at times, taking control of the dance suddenly, twirling or dipping us, so when I take control I start twirling him from time to time.

"I guess I should have worn clothes that flowed more," Martouf says jokingly as he is lead.

"Now you know to do that for the next festival."

He grins more. "Now 'Lantash' and I don't have to get all nervous and ask you to go to the next one. You've already agreed."

"You didn't seem nervous the first time. You seemed very confident." I hear the music is starting to end, so I bring him to a dip. He starts laughing, which makes him harder to hold. I bring him back up so he won't be dropped.

"I'm hungry. Do you think there is anything else to steal off Gete's plate?"

"I think you took what was left of the good stuff." We head back to the table.

Freya and Daniel are back.

'Lantash' takes over as he sits. "First Gete, then Daniel. You seem to like the unblended."

Freya ignores the comment as she looks at cake. "I wish we had an oven."

"Then we'd have reason to cook with more variety," I say. "I like our current set up." One pot. Throw whatever we have in it and eat from it for the next few days.

"Just tired of breakfast, lunch, and dinner being the same thing." She looks to Daniel. "We don't even make bread. We just throw the dough in the pot. We didn't make anything special for the festival. We just made new soup."

"I liked the soup," Daniel says helpfully.

"We had to eat a lot of the previous batch to make room for a new batch," I say. We have one pot and the soup is stored in it. "I think Freya just got a little tired of the soup."

"You should have more variety in your diet," 'Lantash' says as he drinks some water. "You'll enjoy it."

"We put different stuff in the soup," I say. "So we do get variety...it's just always in the form of soup." He doesn't look entirely convinced. "We don't really have time to cook. Soup is easy."

He smiles. It's different than Martouf's smile. It's friendly, but still serious. I wonder if it is due to the conversation. It looks a little more serious than his previous smiles. Still cute though...and kissable.

Then kiss him.

He's sitting across the table.

He takes my hand. "Perhaps someday Martouf and I will get you something other than soup."

"Perhaps." Not really sure what else to say. It might be fun to see what they make.

The festival continues on. I think Amb and Gete are playing games, but I don't see them. I spend most of the time dancing. The night comes quickly, and the stars are bright. Martouf tells me to look up while we dance. The stars blur as I do, and I start feeling dizzy. "Oy." After the dance I walk in circles. "How late is it?"

"Most people have left."

"It's that late?" I try to look over at the festival, but everything is still a blur. I fall over on the grass.

Martouf sits next to us, taking out some bread. Wonder where he kept that. He breaks it apart. "Hungry?"

"No thanks."

He eats. "I talked to some of the others and learned about a few jobs that will require two people. Most of it is preparing for the upcoming winter. Some of it is with Besh and Joth. You can see where I live." He smiles. "I'd also like to help you prepare for winter. I noticed your house needs some patchwork. Have you been getting cold at night?"

"Not yet." I look up at the stars.

I wonder how many of them have planets we have been on, 'Carter' thinks.

I grin. "Our people are out there somewhere."

Martouf looks up and waves.

I watch the stars for a bit. "It's getting late. We should be heading home."

"I'd rather kiss you again." He's still looking up.

"Uh..." Kind of odd for him to tell me instead of just doing it. It doesn't take long for him to do so, and I decide to allow 'Carter' control.

-'Lantash'-

I like having a host who's forward. I let him stay in control since he didn't get to kiss 'Carter' last time. I notice someone approaching and let Martouf know. He pulls away from Samantha.

Who is bugging us? He looks around and realizes we are being approached by Amb and Gete. "Hello." He smiles though he is still annoyed.

Amb looks embarrassed, seeming to realize he is intruding. His eyes flash suddenly in switching control. "We thought we'd say bye before leaving." He looks to 'Carter.' "Freya has also returned home. She asked us to let you know if we see you. She tried to find you, but you disappeared on her."

"Thank you." 'Carter' is blushing a little.

Gete smiles at 'Carter' in a curious way. I don't get it, but she tells him to shush. He and Amb leave. I take control and watch them, though Martouf would prefer to pay attention to our dates. I am just making sure they are all right.

Why wouldn't they be all right?

I don't know. They stop in the distance and seem to talk briefly before parting ways. Something about them being together is annoying, and I am glad they are walking apart now.

Samantha. 'Carter.' Remember them? Our dates. Martouf is getting impatient.

Sorry. I turn back to 'Carter.' "Which one is in control now?"

"Me," Samantha replies.

I touch her hair. "We will walk you home." I get up and offer my hand.

She takes it. "It's a long ways."

"That's the point." More time with her. I touch her back lightly as we start to walk. "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you." She looks both pleased and embarrassed. "Didn't you mention that?"

"Martouf did. I didn't. I wanted you to know I agreed with him."

"Thank you."

-'Carter'-

The walk to the house is quiet. I ask for control.

'Carter,' Samantha thinks in worry. She knows what I'm going to ask.

You haven't been curious?

Yes, but- Fine. She allows me control. I look over to 'Lantash.' "I have a question." A question that may sound insane."

"What is it?"

"You know how we sense each other, we being the symbiotes."

"Yes. It's quite a useful ability."

I agree with that. Noddling slightly, I continue, "Do we feel stronger?"

"You and Samantha?"

"Yes." I wonder if that question made sense.

"Martouf and I noticed this before. The sense you give off is stronger than the others. You have noticed?"

I nod slightly. "It's like I can sense my own host in a way that I don't think is normal. Do you have any idea what could cause it?"

"I don't know." He looks away briefly. "Martouf and I have wondered this. We didn't know how to bring it up with you. There could be many things for it. Perhaps you simply give off a stronger sense, but that wouldn't explain why you feel it." He frowns slightly. "You said you feel it from your host?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible she was blended before?" The question sounds funny since most of the people here have been. He seems to realize that. "I mean, well..." He trails briefly, seeming to not want to finish. "I have wondered...if a symbiote dies and the host does not, what happens to the symbiote?"

Ew.

He continues, "From what I know about our species, I believe the symbiote would...be absorbed."

Ew! Samantha and I are both disturbed by this idea. "I could be where a symbiote was and died?"

"It is possible."

"That's..." So many things, most very disturbing. Samantha and I have no idea what to think.

'Lantash' takes my hand. "It is only an idea."

It seems right though, Samantha thinks.

I nod slightly, feeling sad. Soon I'm being hugged. I hug 'Lantash' in return. I wonder what this symbiote was like. Was it also Tok'ra? Could it have been evil? "I don't know what is worse. That it could have been someone I knew, or that it used and hurt Samantha." I know either way could be the truth.

"Until we get our memories back, there is no way to be certain." He starts walking again, still with an arm around us. It doesn't take long after to arrive at our house.

-Else Where-

-Selmak-

Nothing.

Maybe there is someone we didn't ask.

They aren't here. We asked everyone. We searched where we could.

Jacob regrettably heads back to the chaapa'ai. Nineteen days missing.

And three more planets for us to explore. They could be there. It's also possible they have been found by Stargate Command.

Jacob is hurrying. The faster we go back to the base, the faster we can get to the next planet.

to be continued...

Besh and Joth-Elderly farming couple who took in Martouf
Ichard-Doctor's Assistant
Nara and Bex-Took in Amb. Daughter is getting married.
Starna and Teff-Store owners. Took in Gete.
Thom-Doctor