"So, Auntie Sam?" Zip asked casually as the family (and Carter) sat around the living room after dinner. "Where are you sleeping tonight?"
Sam looked at her as if the young girl was crazy. "In my bed."
"Where's your bed?"
"At my house."
"Oh," Zip sighed, deflated.
"Why?" Sam asked, now concerned that she had hurt the girl's feelings without knowing it.
"Who's going to tell Cilla and me stories about funny stuff Uncle Jack's been doing recently? You're the only one who knows new ones." Zip hoped that sounded convincing.
"I can tell you stories in the morning about your Uncle Jack," Sam tried to reason. It was getting late and if she stayed here much longer she was going to have to spend the night.
Cilla and Zip combined their efforts, "Pleeease?" they asked simultaneously while doing a fair impersonation of a puppy dog.
Sam turned to Jack, who shrugged, "It's up to you. There's enough room if that's what you're worried about." A glint of mischief passed through Jack's eyes, "Of course, you probably just want to leave so you can go to the base and play with your doohickeys and you know that if you stayed here I'd actually make you sleep."
The Colonel growled in frustration, "Alright, fine, you win. I just have to drop by my house now to pick up something…"
"Didn't you say that you kept a spare pair of clothes over here just for the rare occasion in which you spent the night after a team night?" Tris asked, loving how they were making Sam squirm.
Nathan and Luke exchanged another 'look' as Sam whispered, "Did I say that?"
Cilla nodded fervently, "Yep, right before you gave me this pretty necklace."
Zip looked at Sam with sadness that only a little girl can pull off, "Hey! That's not fair. Why did she get a present early and not me?"
Sam looked at her with patience, "Do you want one of your presents early?"
Zip nodded so Sam passed her one of the medium sized boxes with 'Ziporah' written on it. The young girl tore into the package eagerly, very shocked and happy to find a model airplane inside, just waiting to be assembled.
"Thank you, Auntie Sam!" Zip said as she carefully opened the box and took out all the pieces to begin the process of assembling her gift so she could play with it.
Jack looked at Sam with one of his puppy dog looks on his face, "Wait a minute! What about me? Don't I get a present early?"
Sam looked at him with a blank expression, "After you forgot my birthday last month, you want a present?"
"Um, sorry?" Jack was silent for a minute before he remembered, "Hey, wait a second! I made that up to you by letting you fly the X-303. That's not fair!" His family members looked at him like he was acting like a five-year-old (which he was), before turning to Sam to see her reaction.
"Was it fair when you 'forgot' Daniel was allergic to dogs and made us wait by that blasted kennel for three hours?"
"No, that was funny."
Sam appeared outraged, "You weren't the one who had to carry him back to the infirmary!"
"You're right! That was Teal'c. You know, Carter, I could just order you to give me a present?" Sam just glared at him in a very insubordinate way that shut him up.
"Are you sure you two aren't secretly married?" Luke asked 'curiously'.
"Of course we're not married!" Sam and Jack said at exactly the same time.
Tris looked at her watch, noticing how late it was getting, she turned to her two daughters, "Off to bed with you two. It's almost nine o'clock."
Without arguing – which rather shocked Sam – both girls got up from the floor, kissed the adults goodnight and went to bed.
A/N: What think you? Please tell me! I need to know!