__Now What?__
By Gibberish



"Dawn!" Buffy yelled as she entered the kitchen. She saw the coffee pot already filled. "Thank you, Tyrus." She said with feeling.

"You're quite welcome." Tyrus replied. "Your sister is on her way down."

Buffy grinned at him. "Thanks. Have you seen Giles?"

"He's in the library." Tyrus answered. "He's still working on finding any remaining Watchers."

"He hasn't had much luck." Buffy said.

"Very little." Tyrus agreed sadly.

Buffy looked at him seriously. "Do you have any regrets about letting us live here?" She asked.

Tyrus looked at her in surprise. "No. It's good to hear laughter here again.  This home was meant for a lot of happy people. My daughter, she couldn't stand the silence."

"Even with you here?" Buffy asked.

"She could never see me." Tyrus explained sadly.

"Where is she, now?" Buffy asked next.

"Not far." Tyrus told her. "The other side of Cleveland. I pop in on her from time to time. She still never sees me, but my granddaughter does."

"How old is she?" Buffy inquired.

"Arabella is three." Tyrus said proudly.

"How long have you been ..." Buffy began to ask, but didn't know how.

"Dead?" Tyrus queried. Buffy nodded. "Three years." He confirmed sadly. "The night she was born, I came home and surprised a burglar. I only got to hold her once."

"That's terrible." Buffy stated.

"At least I got to hold her once." Tyrus replied.

"Why do you stay here?" Buffy asked. "Why don't you stay there, with them?"

"This is where I died." Tyrus explained. "I am always pulled back here."

"But you get to see them." Buffy commented.

Tyrus smiled. "Yes."

"Buffy?!" Dawn called from the other room.

"Time to get Dawn enrolled." Buffy said. "At least this school doesn't sit right on top of the Hellmouth."

"Let's hope that it doesn't make it too dull for her then." Tyrus said with just a hint of a smile.

"That's the kind of dull I can deal with." Buffy said. She started to go, then turned back to him. "If your daughter is ever in trouble, if she ever needs any help ..."

"I shall call on you most gratefully." Tyrus told her with a gentle smile.

Buffy gave him a smile and a nod, and went through the door.

"Why do *I* have to go to school?" Dawn demanded as soon as she saw Buffy come through the kitchen door. "Why can't I go to school with the Slayers?"

"Because *you* can be taken away if you don't go to school." Buffy explained. "I can't take that chance."

"There you are." Robin said as he joined them.

"Here I am." Buffy said in return.

Robin handed Buffy a paper. "I drew up a schedule, and with some help from Willow, I've arranged for the girls to be home schooled."

"Did Willow use her computer magic?" Buffy asked as she looked over the information. "This looks fine." Despite anything she said, they still acted as though she was in charge.

The doorbell rang. "Buffy!" Kennedy yelled.

"Now what?" Buffy asked.

Kennedy came in with another girl, who carried a duffle bag. "Another one." Kennedy said. "This is Scarlet."

Buffy looked at Giles, who had just entered the room. "What is it with Slayers' names?" She asked.

"They do tend to have rather unique names, don't they?" Giles asked in return.

"That's one way to put it." Buffy commented. She looked at the new girl.

"I'm Buffy. You've met Kennedy. Giles, Dawn and Robin." She indicated each in turn. "You'll meet Willow, Xander, and Faith."

"Don't forget Tyrus." Dawn added.

Scarlet looked around, a bit lost. "Why am I here?"

Buffy looked at Giles. "This is your favorite part. You're explanation guy."

"And, as usual, you're late." Giles replied. He looked at Scarlet. "Welcome to the Hellmouth."
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