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Her father smells like Old Spice and cigarette smoke, and she buries her face in his chest, wrapping her arms tighter around him. He lets out a small grunt of discomfort as he tries to pull away from her hug, and she reluctantly lets go.
"Do you have to go?"
She knows sounds like a baby, but she doesn't really care. From the corner of her eye, she can see her mother wince.
"I'm sorry honey," he says, and reaches down to stroke her hair. "I still love you, you do know that. You'll always be my girl." He casts a quick look at her mother before picking up his suitcase. "You're a big girl, Buffy. Take care of your mother for me. And never forget that if you ever really need me, I'll always be there for you."
She picks up the piece of paper for the umpteeth time, absently twisting it in her fingers as she stares at the phone, trying to think of what to say.
Hi Dad, it's been a while.
Hi Dad, I haven't been calling you 'cause you forgot to give me your new number when you moved.
Hi Dad, where the hell are you?
"Buffy."
Giles' voice rouses her from her thoughts, and her hand reflexively curls into a fist, crushing the slip of paper she's holding. He's standing in the doorway to the kitchen, she can tell, but she doesn't turn around, doesn't want to see him, not now. She can smell the lingering scent of whiskey all the way across the room, can hear the small thump when Giles puts his luggage down.
"I wanted to come over and say goodbye before I leave for the airport."
She opens her fist and unwraps the small lump of paper, smoothing it against the table over and over again. The paper is worn and faded, the blue of the ballpoint pen only barely legible anymore. Giles clears his throat, and she can imagine him cleaning his glasses, as well as if she had eyes on the back of her head.
"I hope you'll understand that I'm not doing this to punish you. You're a grown woman, Buffy. You can take care of yourself." He's quiet for a moment, and then she hears him pick the suitcase up again. "And if you ever really need me... well, I hope it goes without saying."