The door to the basement opened. Light from the upstairs poured in, hitting specs of dust that looked like golden fairy dust. Buffy made no attempt to be quiet as she made her way down a wooden set of stairs into the basement.
With the heavy building materials in her arms, it sounded like stomping. It was almost comical, to see her carry so many large boxes that her five-two frame should have been incapable of. It blocked her vision but her voice was unmistakable.
"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. But I can't let you run free and hurt anyone else. I need to know more about your kind. Is there a cure? Can you change on command? 'Cuz last night wasn't a full moon and I need to know what we're--"
When Buffy made it to the basement floor, she turned her back and set down the supplies she'd gotten from the hardware store. It was then she noticed it wasn't a stranger tied up in her basement but--
"--John?"
Buffy stared. It took a few seconds of processing before she was crouched down at his side and removing the rope from his hands and feet. "I'm so sorry. I thought I had the original wolf. Are you okay? When were you bit?"