"Spike!" Buffy choked out, surprise evident on her face.
The vampire didn't respond. He just walked over to the unconscious girl and tenderly touched her face. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. "What happened to you, El?"
Giles, Xander, Willow, and Buffy all stared at the surreal scene before them. Here was one of the world's most vicious killers, William the Bloody, gently stroking the hair of a very human girl. The girl, Elisa, stirred and her eyes fluttered before opening. She stared at the face above her as her vision cleared.
"William!" she squealed when she recognized the face of her brother.
"That's who she meant?" Xander muttered in disbelief. Buffy shot him a questioning glance before turning back to the siblings on the couch.
"What happened to your hair?" Elisa asked her brother.
Spike reached up and felt the mane of hair that had been bleached blond for the past few decades. "Oh, I decided it was time for a change."
Elisa became aware of her surroundings and glanced around the room. Her eyes lingered on the group of people assembled there. "Ummm…who are these people? And where exactly are we?"
Spike looked at the Scooby gang. He had forgotten about them. Groaning, he mumbled, "She's the Slayer and those are her friends." Spike first pointed to Buffy and waved his hand at the rest.
Elisa looked confused, "I don't understand." She finally realized exactly what her brother had said. "The Slayer? How…how do you know about the Slayer? I never told you!"
"Well luv, you disappeared over one hundred years ago. I thought you were dead and so did the bloody Council. They replaced you," William gently broke the news to the stricken girl.
"Do you think she's realized he's a vampire?" Willow whispered into Buffy's ear.
"I don't think so, but give her time," the Slayer answered.
"One hundred years?" The poor girl was shocked. She thought about what her brother had told her. Then she looked closely at him, skepticism in her eyes. "Then what are you doing here?"
"That's an easy one," Spike said with a shrug. "I'm dead!"
Elisa grabbed his wrist and frantically felt for a pulse. Finding none, she reached up and touched his cold face. Elisa jerked her hand back as if she had been burnt. "Nooooooo," she moaned.
"Oh my God! You're a vampire!" With that, she broke down and cried the tears of someone whose entire life had crumbled into a pile at her feet.