It was not their first lunch alone together. In fact, it was just one in a list of many. But for them, every moment together after so many moments alone was special.
Today's special moment arrived thanks to Jack's incredible tact.
"Tell me something," Jack said as he scooped a large spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth.
"Like what?" Sam asked him, flashing him such a sweet smile that he had to wonder to himself how he had gone eight years without it.
"Tell me something about you that I don't know," he said. Sam looked at him skeptically. "Come on," he whined, all puppy-dog eyes and pouts. Sam grinned. She had never seen the General version of Jack pout quite like that before.
"What is there to know?" Sam asked, half flirtatiously and half seriously. "I thought you knew it all."
Jack scoffed at her. "Hardly," he said. "Think about it. I could tell you everything about yourself as a soldier. You're strong, you're passionate, you're kind, you're sexy…"
"I'm not quite sure that's a very militaristic description, Jack," she teased.
"Really, Sam," he said, waving her off with a half-committal smile. "Ask me anything about your credentials as a soldier and I could talk all day. But, as for other things…I've known you for almost a decade and I don't even know you're favourite colour!"
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Fine," she said, her voice turning businesslike. "Here's something you may not know. Despite being your soldier, I happen to know that your favourite colour is peridot, your favourite television show is the Simpsons, your favourite foods in order are beer, pizza and pie, even though beer doesn't actually class as a food. I know that your favourite hobby is stargazing and that if you could go on a date with anyone in the world it would be Mary Steenburgen."
She gave him her best "I'm a smartass know-it-all" smirk and folded her arms.
"Wrong!" he sang at her, grinning at her through his teeth.
"What?" she asked.
"Wrong!" He repeated. "I happen to have changed my opinion on that last point."
"Oh really?" Sam asked him, playfully.
"Yes," he said. "Over the last…oh…eight or so years, my tastes have refined somewhat."
"Refined?" she asked.
"Refined," Jack repeated. "See, I thought Mary Steenburgen was the woman for me, but then I met this other fabulous person. Tall, leggy, you know the type…"
"Thanks, Jack," Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"What?" he asked. "I was talking about Teal'c."
Sam laughed and kicked Jack under the table.
"Ow!" he yelled, though he was laughing too hard to complain. "That was unfair!" he said.
"Was it?" Sam flirted, trying to keep her face grimaced.
"Yes!" Jack grumped, pouting again. "Just because I don't know your favourite colour!"
Sam got out of her chair and held him from behind. "Well, you've got the rest of our lives to sort out those little details," she said, kissing him lightly on the neck. He chuckled deeply. "It's green, by the way…"
And she gave him one of her megawatt smiles and kissed him, for all the café, all the world to see.
Any moment like that was special.