Buffy didn't have to search the inside of the bedroom for very long at all before she knew something was amiss. There didn't have to be any signs of a struggle for her to be wary, and to be perfectly honest, it was the tidiness of the room that unnerved her.
As soon as she was about to remark on this, however, Sam made his appearance, and her attention immediately moved to his form as he moved out of the shadows.
"Sorry to say, I didn't," Buffy snapped, slipping a knife out of her bag and readying it, just in case. She knew no killing, but threatening was definitely okay. "Came here to get Willow back and leave you here all by your lonesome, big guy."
There was no time to help Xander as he went flying back against the floor, but she immediately stepped in front of him to act as a human shield. "Leave him alone!" she shouted. "You said you were hoping we'd meet, so come on, let's meet properly." She then gave Xander a look over her shoulder, making sure he was alright. She also gave him another significant look that told him to leave and search for Willow the minute he could while she had Sam distracted.