Cilla was the first to make her move, "So, Auntie Sam?" she said slyly. "Do you have a dress for the first night of Hanukkah?"
Sam looked at Jack with fear in her eyes, "I have to wear a dress?"
Jack cocked his head to one side in a fair Teal'c impersonation (who had left about two hours prior to go back to the base and keep Daniel company). "I didn't mention that?"
She glared, "No, sir. You didn't." The tone of her voice when she said 'sir' left no doubt in Jack's mind that he would be dead if there weren't witnesses and if he wasn't her boss. Mostly just because there were witnesses.
"Um, yeah, Carter. The first night is a semi-formal event in my family. All the guys wear suits – ties included – and all the girls wear dresses or skirts." Zip cleared her throat loudly, "Oh yeah, except for Zip here. She gets to suffer with the males in our family in a suit and tie. Which happens to be the other option if you don't want to wear a dress."
"No dress blues?" Sam asked hopefully.
Tris shook her head, "No work related attire at all. Otherwise three of my brother-in-laws would show up in their police uniforms. Do you have a dress that would be appropriate, Sam?"
Sam sighed, remembering very clearly what had become of all of her dresses after her break up with Pete a few months before, "Not exactly."
Jack snorted – he was there when her slim supply of dresses – three in fact – met the wrath of his fireplace after Sam's break up with Pete. It turned out that Pete had bought her one of the dresses (which hit the flames first) and Sam had purchased the other two specifically for dates with the cop. Sam glared at him.
"We can go shopping with you, if you like?" Cilla asked sweetly. She may only be eleven years old, but she knew how to play the 'good little Jewish girl' down to the t…or the w considering there's no 't' in Jewish.
Sam smiled, "I'd like that. We can go right now if that's all right with all of you. I have to stop off at my house to get a few things anyway."
Tris grinned, "Perfect. Zip? Are you coming with us or staying here?"
Zip shook her head, "I'll stay here and keep Phebe company. I can't leave her all alone with all this testosterone!"
Every one started to laugh heartily at the young girl's statement. Sam briefly wondered where she learned the word 'testosterone'. She was so young to be spouting off such big words.
"This is your house, Sam?" Cilla asked as the three pulled up outside of it in Sam's Volvo.
"Yep."
Tris was impressed, "I like it."
Sam grinned, getting out of the car and walking up to the door with the other two in tow, "So do I. I think I'll keep it."
Cilla and Tris laughed at this and watched as Sam opened the door to her home. "Come on in. The living room's just over there, so I'll only be a minute," she said as she disappeared down the hallway toward her bedroom.
The mother and daughter looked around at the pictures Sam had on her walls. There seemed to be a theme with most of them – Jack. Only about three of the thirty-five-ish pictures hanging on the walls did not contain Jack O'Neill. One was of Sam and a man they assumed was her father, another of Sam's entire family right before her mother died, and the third of Mark and his family. Other than that all the pictures had Jack in them.
"Here we go," Sam said, walking into the room, holding two very large bags and a duffle slung over her shoulder.
"What's in the bags?" Cilla asked.
Sam shrugged, "Some presents. I only have the General's here, and a few of the ones I got for the guys. They just weren't safe over at his house."
Tris grinned, she knew exactly what the woman meant. Sometimes her brother-in-law could be such a child.
"And the duffle bag?" the older woman asked curiously.
Sam blushed and looked down, "Some things that the General left here accidentally."
"He sleeps over here?" Cilla's eyes grew wide. Was her uncle living in sin with this woman?
Sam's head shot up and she looked at the other two with horror in her eyes, "No, of course not. We have team nights once a month and sometimes we get a little too drunk to drive home safely so we all just crash at whomever's house we're at. That's why if you go into my bathroom you'll find three different cabinets containing three different sizes of cloths in them. And at the General's house you'll find two like that and one with an extra outfit for me in case that happens again."
Tris accepted this answer whole-heartedly. She was even more certain after Sam said it that the Jewish blood in Jack's veins ran just too deep for him to do something like that.
The three were about to leave when Sam thought of something, "Oh! I almost forgot. I have a present for each of you in here, too."
"Why?" Cilla asked.
"The General ran out of wrapping paper at his house so I brought them home to wrap them. Do you want them now?"
Tris looked at Sam warily, "Aren't they for tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, but I went a little crazy when I was shopping, so there's a fairly large overflow of gifts for everyone."
"Okay, then."
Sam handed Tris a somewhat large box wrapped in lovely dark purple wrapping paper, then another smaller one to Cilla.
Tris opened hers first to reveal a hand made prayer shawl with a gold Star of David emblazoned on it. "Oh, Sam. It's beautiful! I've been trying to find a good one for years. Thank you," she said, giving the other woman a gigantic hug.
Cilla's box contained a Star of David necklace with a rose in the center, "I love it, Auntie Sam! It's so pretty!"
"I'm glad you like it, Cilla. I didn't have very much to go off of when I was shopping. Just all of your basic likes and hates and occupations."
"If all your gifts are as well thought out as these two, you'll be fine. Our family motto has always been 'It's about the thought and effort put into the gift – not it's price' concerning presents during Hanukkah and all the other holy days."
"Now, we have shopping to do!" Cilla said excitedly as she put her new necklace on.
A/N: Love it? Like it? Hate it? Tell me in a review!
On a side note: I am very thrilled to report that tomorrow I will be consuming way too much pie! Whoo ho!