Back in Giles' apartment, Buffy scanned the pages of yet another book. With a sigh, she set the book on the coffee table and stood up.
"You guys thirsty?" she asked. "Research is not my forte, so now I'm Drink Girl."
Giles and Willow looked up in surprise at Buffy's choice of words. Buffy looked smug. "What? Can't I learn new words?"
"Of course, but you rarely," Giles stopped himself before finishing the thought. "I'll take a cup of tea, please."
"Water," Willow said, struggling to keep from laughing. So that was why Buffy had been looking through the dictionary that afternoon. Willow smiled as her friend headed into the kitchen before focusing once again on the screen in front of her. She heard the sound of ice clinking against glass in the next room. Moments later Buffy reappeared, balancing three glasses. She handed Willow a glass of water and set hers on the coffee table.
Buffy was handing Giles his tea when something crashed through the front door. Startled, she swung around and crouched into a fighter's stance. The teacup fell to the floor; it's contents spilling everywhere.
Giles stood up and stared at the figure that stumbled through the door. Buffy prepared to attack but relaxed when she recognized Xander's form.
"Really Xander," she began. "Knocking is..." her voice trailed off as she noticed the girl Xander was carrying. She was petite and obviously injured. Her left arm was done up in a makeshift splint and sling. Her face was purple and slightly swollen from the multiple bruises that marred her delicate features.
"Xander, who is that?" Buffy asked. She didn't remember having seen her before. Maybe she was a student though.
"I don't know," he replied. "She sorta fell on me."
"From where? A tree?" Willow inquired. Her research had been abandoned for the moment. She was close to finding something on the missing Slayer. She just had to be. But first…
"No, not a tree. Or a building," Xander answered. "She fell out of the sky, as in 'It's Raining Women, Hallelujah!'"
"The sky, are you sure?" Giles asked the boy. Xander noticed the skeptical looks on his friends' faces.
"Well let's see...I was just past Ms. Coats house with that mean dog and he started to bark and…yes, I'm sure," he rambled. At Giles' annoyed glance, Xander defended himself, "Hey! I would have noticed a tree! I was out in the open just a couple of blocks from here. Besides, Hellmouth, remember? The place where anything can happen?"
Xander gently placed the injured girl on the couch. He noticed the bruises weren't as large or dark as he had originally thought.
"What happened to her arm?" Buffy asked.
"She broke her wrist. No other bones were broken and other than bruises, she appears to be fine. Well as OK as can be expected," he amended.
"How can you be sure? Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Willow wondered.
"GI memory, basic first aid." Xander explained. "We were closer to here. And something about this screams 'supernatural.'"
"Indeed," Giles agreed. Xander was surprised at the unexpected backup.
"Besides, I found this," Xander held up the stake that had fallen along with the girl.
Buffy took the stake from Xander and examined it. The pointed end was very sharp. It could have been one of hers. "Were you carrying it?"
"Nah, not mine," he assured her. Buffy gave him an exasperated look.
"How many times do I have to tell you to remember protection!?!" she huffed.
"Whoa! Slow down, Trojan Man!" Xander smiled and pulled a stake out of his jacket and lifted his pants leg to reveal another. Both had hideous faces painted on them that looked like a child had drawn them. 'Not much of a stretch there,' Buffy thought as she stifled a laugh. 'Ryan from the hospital (who had been sending her letters and drawings since the day she had saved him from Der Kinderstod) draws better than that."
"What?" Xander was baffled at Buffy's amused look. He glanced at his stakes. "Oh! Ummm…I got bored," he stated, his facing turning beet red with embarrassment.
"Do you know who the young lady is?" Giles intervened, trying to get back to the matter at hand.
"No clue," Xander replied. "She doesn't have any ID on her that I could find."
"Which begs the questions: 'Who is she?' and 'Where did she come from?'" The Slayer stated.
"Well, I could try to find..." Willow started. She was interrupted by a beep at the computer. She had forgotten about the previous search and had left it running. Curious, Willow clicked on the link to the search results.
Willow read the headline of the newspaper article:
The Disappearance of Two Local Siblings is a Mystery
That Remains Unsolved
Skimming the article, the redhead realized that they had some answers to at least one of the mysteries. She began to read aloud to the others in the room.
"Elisa Marie Neal, 18, and her brother, William James Neal, 22, disappeared from their home earlier this week. Family friend, Frederic Riggot, was dropping by the house during a routine visit to find the front door smashed in and the interior destroyed. There was no sign of either sibling…" Willow stopped reading and scrolled down through the article.
Xander looked at Buffy, but she was oblivious to the questions in his eyes.
"Uh, guys," Willow squeaked. The others crowded around the laptop and looked at the screen. There was a picture of the two missing persons. Elisa Neal looked remarkably similar to the injured girl on the couch. And her brother…
"Good Lord!" Giles whistled. "If that is Elisa," he pointed at the figure on the couch, "then that means she is…"
"My sister," came a voice from behind. As one, the Scooby Gang turned to look at the platinum-haired vampire standing in the doorway.