"Buffy hon can you get that last box out of the car!" Joyce yelled out
to her oldest daughter.

Buffy Summers sighed and just rolled her eyes. Why couldn't Dawn get
the box. More than likely it was going in the younger girl's room
anyway. Reaching into the trunk of the car for the box, Buffy almost
laughed out loud when she saw the name 'Dawn' on the box. Wow, if only
she would have bet.

It had been hard moving to a new town. . Saying goodbye to everyone in
LA. But it had also been for the better to. Buffy had been angry with
her father when he ran off. He had just up and left them. How could he
do that to her mom. . .to Dawn. . to her! But then her mom had met
Giles and well, everything turned out ok. Except for the whole moving
part.

Picking up the box, she stumbled a little under the weight of it.
"What does she have in here bricks." Buffy mumbled walking up the
stairs of the front porch and into the house. Carrying the box
upstairs she sat it with a 'thump' on the floor.

Turning, she made her way to her own room and decided to start
unpacking. Right away she found that was a bad idea. Opening up the
first box she found a necklace that Ryan had given her. She had broken
up with him the day before they had left LA. It was a beautiful, yet
simple opal on a gold chain. Hurridly she put it on her dresser and
kept going through the box. Down at the bottom there was a picture.
Her father behind her as she held Dawn for the first time. Buffy sat
on the floor looking at the picture for the longest time. How could he
have just run off like that? Didn't he care? Didn't he love them anymore?

The tears welled up in her eyes and she didn't even hear her mom come in.

"Oh. . honey. . What's the matter?" Joyce asked walking in and
kneeling down by her daughter. Seeing the picture in her hand Joyce
sighed.

"He loves you girls very much, I want you to know that."

"Then why. . . why did he leave? And with someother woman!" Buffy
exclaimed tossing the picture away.

"I . . I can't explain that hon. I have no clue why he left. All I
know is that he is your father. I'm sure that he still loves you girls
greatly." Joyce said trying to calm her daughter.

"I. . I just don't understand." Buffy sighed, standing to do somemore
unpacking.