Title: This Magic Moment

Rating: K+

Summary: Back in New York, Buffy tries to contact Jack.

Disclaimer: I claim ownership of nothing except the plot. Buffy belongs to Whedon, and the Montgomery's and Taggert's belong to Jude Deveraux.

Feedback: I would most certainly appreciate it!

Note: Thanks to fairieangel, Toniboo, Dreamweaver, and Stemaphie for reviewing!

Fairieangel: I always loved that cookie dough analogy.

Toniboo: Nope, not the end. I have a feeling it'll be awhile.

Dreamweaver: That is a great idea, one that I haven't thought of. Can you imagine Buffy's reaction to such a big family? She didn't have a big family growing up, just her parents and her sister, and then only her mom and her sister, and then only her sister. Not counting the Scoobies, of course. Have you read Sweet Liar? I love how Samantha was able to distinguish between the two twins. Thanks for the review!

Stemaphie: You haven't read any of the books? I command you to go out and read one. The author is Jude Deveraux. She is such a great writer. I recommend Sweet Liar or High Tide. They both feature Taggert's. If you want to read a Montgomery story, though, you can read Always or Knight In Shining Armor. I've always wanted to see Buffy try to do the Snoopy dance. I don't think she'd be so good at it, though. Well, here's an update! Thanks for reviewing, and do it again! Hint, hint.

………..

Sensible Magic

Ring...ring...

"Hi, you've reached Jack Montgomery. I'm not able to come to the phone right now, but if you'll leave your name and your number after the beep, I'll get back to you."

Buffy slammed down the phone before the machine got the chance to beep. Wincing, she blew out a breath and ruffled her bangs. This was the second time she had hung up the phone without leaving a message. What was she supposed to say? After all, she hardly knew Jack, but she did want to go out to dinner with him.

Flopping down onto her bed, she banged her head against the mattress, which was actually futile because the bad was too soft to do anything. Like knock some sense into me, Buffy thought wryly. Standing up, she faced the mirror hanging over her vanity.

"Hey, Jack. It's me. Buffy. Buffy Summers. We met last month, remember? Well, I'm back from Italy. Uh, do you still want dinner? Because dinner sounds good right now. But if you don't, that's okay. I totally understand, and I am such an idiot!" Groaning, Buffy briefly closed her eyes, then opened them and turned back to the phone with renewed determination.

Ring...ring...

"Hi, you've reached Jack Montgomery. I'm not able to come to the phone right now, but if you'll-" Slam. Growling, Buffy kicked her bed, and it scooted three feet because of her Slayer strength.

"Okay. I'll keep it short and sweet. Just say my name, tell him I'm back in town, and give him my number. Yeah, that'll work."

Ring...ring...

By the time the answering machine came on, Buffy was sweating. She had to force herself not to hang up. When it beeped, she sat there, unable to speak, before she pinched herself. "Hi, Jack. This is Buffy Summers. I'm back from Italy, and if you're still up for dinner, give me a call. Bye." She hung up and stared at the phone for a about thirty seconds, replaying the words she said. Then she groaned and slapped her head.

Dialing Jack's number again, she called herself an idiot in as many languages she could remember from all the years she helped research. After the answering machine repeated its message, and the beep sounded, Buffy said, "It's Buffy again. I thought you might need my number so you can actually call me. It's..." after she reported the digits, Buffy hung up. She just hoped he still wanted to go out with her.

Later that night, when Jack got home, he noticed a blinking light on his machine. He felt a spurt of anticipation, the same spurt he had been getting these past two weeks whenever he saw the light. That spurt was yelling, "Buffy! It's gotta be Buffy! Yay!" However, no matter how much he hoped, it was never Buffy. Why would she call him early, anyway? But it had been two weeks, like she said, so it had to be her.

Pushing the button on the answering machine, he listed to a message from his mother, one from his sister, another from his brother, and a few more from various cousins, reminding him of the family get together they were having next month. As if he could forget. After all the family messages, he finally came to the one he wanted to hear.

"Hi, Jack," Buffy's voice came on after a few seconds of silence. She sounded slightly nervous, and because she wasn't the only one nervous, Jack grinned. "This is Buffy Summers." As if she could be anyone else. "I'm back from Italy, and if you're still up for dinner, give me a call. Bye."

Feeling panic when he realized that Buffy hadn't given her number, he glanced wildly around before his eyes landed on the phone. Duh! He had Caller ID. The last message began to play, and Jack froze in the act of grabbing the phone.

"It's Buffy again. I thought you might need my number..."

Scribbling down the seven digits, Jack grabbed the phone and went through all the missed calls. He smiled when he saw Buffy's name, grinned when he saw it again, and laughed when he saw that she had called him four times before leaving a message. Smiling smugly, he dialed Buffy's number and listened to it ring. And ring. And ring some more. Feeling deflated, he waited for the answering machine to come on.

"Hey, you've reached Buffy. If this is Giles, Xander, Willow or Dawn, give me a call on my cell, which you should've done in the first place. If you are trying to contact me about the Council, call Giles, Xander or Willow for my cell. You know the number. If this is anyone else, leave a message after the beep. Thanks, and call again!"

Jack frowned. Who were Xander and Don? Ex-boyfriends? And what was the Council? The beep brought him out of his musings.

"Hi, Buffy. It's Jack. I just got your message. Messages, I should say. Sorry to have missed you. Try calling my cell number when you get this message. It's on the back of the card I gave you. Anyway, call me anytime. Bye."

Feeling like an idiot, he shut off the phone and hung it up. Making sure he had his cell phone on, Jack headed towards the kitchen. It was going to be a long night. Where was she, anyway? It was past eight in the evening. Was she out at a club? On a date? Scowling, he poured himself something alcoholic and sat at the kitchen table, staring at the phone like some love struck loon.

End.

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