Opps, I forget my Monday message again – thanks to all of you who made it passed the 500 chapter mark with me…

SPOILERS – this week – Griffin makes a new friend, Marissa and Erica have another meeting and preparations begin for Spike's Halloween party.

…

It was his day off and Griffin was sitting on the couch, minding his own business, when Spike came racing in and jumped up beside him.

This was the first time Griffin had really been alone with the kids without Kendall and Cara as a buffer. Kendall was working late tonight and although Cara had dropped Charlie at the Miranda centre, the sitter Kendall had hired for she boys, seemed to have her hand's full with just Ian.

"Do you like Halloween?" Spike asked, looking up at Griffin with is trademark grin. "Are you going to come to my party?"

"We don't really have Halloween back home." said Griffin.

"You don't have Halloween? Don't you dress up and have sweets and tell ghost stories?"

"Traditionally we celebrate the Día de los Muertos…'Day of the Dead' …two days after Halloween. It's a huge celebration of remembrance for those departed. We invite the souls of the dead into our home and leave them gifts and build shrines decorated with pictures and food and orange marigolds. It's a way to remember those we love. There are lots of skulls and parades with bright costumes and we tell fun or poignant stories about those who are no longer with us but we celebrate the dead rather than being scared by them."

"Is your home very far away then?" Spike asked.

Griffin had to laugh at the wonder in Spike's voice.

"Not very." He replied, "I'm from Mexico. You've heard of Mexico, haven't you; the home of chocolate, chillies and tacos?"

Spike leaned closer.

"Could I invite my daddy?" he asked.

"What?"

"Could I invite my daddy to the 'Día de' party?"

It took Griffin a moment to realise which one of his daddy's he was referring too; this was about Zack not Ryan.

"We could remember your daddy, and your aunt Greenlee; all the people who have gone before us."

"And do you still have sweets?"

"Traditionally we have pan de muerto and candied pumpkin and there are decorated sugar skulls…"

"Sugar skulls?"

"Yeah."

"Cool!" Spike sat, bouncing in his chair in excitement.

"…Although they are usually only used as decoration…"

"Could we do that at my party instead of being scary?"

"You want to celebrate the Día de los Muertos?"

"Yeah. I want to remember my daddy. But can we still dress as monsters?"

"You can dress up… and we can joke and play games."

"And you'll help?"

"I'd be happy to help and I'm sure Cara will too."

Spike gave him a wide smile.

"I'm glad you've come to stay!" he said, "You're so awesome!"

Griffin grinned at the compliment.

"You're pretty awesome yourself."

…

I hope I got my Day of the Dead info right – Wikipedia is only helpful to a point.