The Scooby Gang entered the library, where Willow, Cordelia and Wesley were
already preparing the ritual to destroy the Box.
"You got it?" Willow asked excited when she noticed the arriving group.
"Yep, one Box of Gavrock as you ordered," Buffy told her with a grin.
Angel placed the Box on the table.
"Were there any problems?" Wesley asked.
"Nope no problems W, " Faith told him and sat down on a chair.
"I assume you found the ritual?" Giles asked and looked at their preparations.
"Yeah, we found it. It was a bit hidden but we found it," Willow exclaimed proudly.
"And? Are you ready?" Buffy asked.
"Not really. You see, the ritual is not that complicated but we haven't got all the ingredients," Willow explained. "I just wanted to go to the Magic shop and get the ones that are missing."
"Okay Will. Hurry up," Buffy told her.
Willow grabbed her coat and left the library.
"And what's left for us to do?" Faith asked bored.
"We prepare for a possible attack Faith," Giles explained and went to his office. "Does anyone else want a cup of tea?"
"He prepares for an attack with a cup of tea?" Faith asked.
Buffy grinned as she replies "He prepares for almost anything with a cup of tea."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Xander burst through the Mayor's office door.
"I'm here boss. So, what are we gonna do?" Xander asked.
"Calm down Alexander. Just breathe. You've had a very stressful evening," the Mayor told him.
"Calm down?" Xander nearly shouted at him. " Those fucking boyscouts have the Box. The Box. You remember the Box, don't you?" The Mayor nodded. "The thing that you need to complete your Ascension. They have it now. And you tell me to calm down?"
"Alexander, there is no need to become impolite and please watch your language. Now sit down and we will talk about this problem," the Mayor told him in a calm tone and pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
"How can you be so calm about this," Xander asked him confused..
"Like I told you before, it wouldn't change things. So, your friends got have the Box. What do you think we should do?" he asked Xander.
Xander thought for a few seconds about their problem, before he answered the question.
"You gather a dozen vampires and let them storm the library. That should be enough, even for two slayers." Xander explained his plan.
"That would only be a waste of personnel. Your friends are certainly awaiting such an attack and have already prepared for it."
Again Xander thought about the possibilities.
"Okay , boss. I don't know what else we could do. Apart from going in there with a machine gun, I have no ideaa left."
"Your friends are all part of a group. They all have different abilities and have a different position in the team," the Mayor explained. "They are connected to each other like the links of a chain. And if your target is a chain, you always go for the weakest link."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Willow left the Magic shop. In her bag she had the remaining ingredients for the spell that would destroy the Box of Gavrock.
She she was just walking down the street when her path was blocked by man in a business suit.
"Willow Rosenburg?" the man asked.
"Yes," Willow answered shyly. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Mr. Smith. I'm here to get you for your appointment with the Mayor," he said and shifted into his game face.
Willow immediately turned around and started running in the opposite direction. But unfortunately she ran directly into the second vampire who already counted on that move.
The first vampire grabbed her by her feet while the other one took her arms. Right after they grabbed her, Willow started screaming and kicking, but against the supernatural strength of her two captors she had no chance.
"Stop screaming," the first vampire told her. " This is Sunnydale for God's sake. No one reacts if someone is screaming at night."
They carried the still struggling Willow to a black van. The door of the car of was opened from the interior and they threw her in the back, where she was already awaited by two other vampires.
"Man, she got a lot of life in her," the first one said and closed the door. "I wonder what her blood would taste like."
"Hey, she is a hostage, okay?" the second one explained and opened the driver's door. "That means no snacking."
"Damn " the other one exclaimed while he sat down on the passenger's seat. "Sometimes this job sucks."
"You have my sympathy," the second vamp told him and started the engine. He drove the black van out of its parking lot and in the general direction of City Hall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"So, who is the weakest link in the group?" Xander asked the Mayor.
"What do you think?" the Mayor threw the question back at Xander.
Xander had to think about that for a moment.
"Well there are a lot of possibilities. I mean, Oz is a werewolf but only on full moon. Giles is a watcher, but even he can't face more than two vamps. Cordy has no active power. And Willow always needs half an hour preparation before she can cast a spell."
Suddenly the Mayor's intercom was activated.
"Boss," came the voice over the speaker. "We have your package."
The Mayor pressed a button. "Wait outside the door until I call you," he told the vampires over the line. Then he shifted his attention back to Xander, who looked confused from the previous conversation. "So Alexander, what do you think?"
"Well all of them are pretty easy to catch. But you need someone important. Someone who is close to Buffy. So, that would be Giles or Willow," Xander explained. "Giles is like a father figure to her and Willow is her best friend."
"Come on Alexander. Which one?"
"I say Willow," Xander finally said.
"And we have a winner," the Mayor exclaimed happily. "Come in," he called in the direction of the door.
The two vampires entered the office. But Xander's whole attention was drawn to the gagged and tied up Willow they were pushing into the room.
"Oh my God," were the only words Xander could mutter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Giles, Willow is pretty late," Buffy told her watcher. "Do you think, that maybe something happened to her?"
"Buffy, I would not worry. She is only ten minutes late."
"You're right. Maybe I'm overreacting," she said and sighed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Where did you capture her?" Xander asked.
"After your phone call, I sent those two gentlemen to monitor the high school. Their orders were to either capture Mr. Giles or Miss Rosenburg if they should leave the building," the Mayor explained. "Now boys, no need to be rude. Would you please remove the gag."
"But Boss, she screams," one of the vampires explained.
"And? We're in an official building at night. No one can hear her. So, would you please remove the gag," the Mayor repeated his order.
One of the vampires finally pulled the gag out of Willow's mouth.
"So Miss Rosenburg, do you have anything to say?" the Mayor asked her with a smile.
But Willow only glared angrily at him.
"No? Didn't think so," the Mayor said and turned his attention to Xander. "Alexander you will keep her company until we have arranged the exchange."
"Exchange?" Willow asked confused.
"Of course Miss Rosenburg. We will exchange you for the Box of Gavrock. What did you think we kidnapped you for?" the Mayor asked rhetorically "Now show her the restroom Alexander while I prepare everything."
Xander grabbed her by the arm and lead her out of the office.
Right after the door closed behind them, the Mayor took the phone and began dialling.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Hello?" Giles answered the phone.
"Hello, am I connected to the Sunnydale library?" the voice on the other side asked.
"Yes you are. How can I help you?"
"This is Mayor Wilkins speaking" Giles eyes widened at the mention of the name. May I know who is on the other side?"
"Rupert Giles," he answered calmly.
"Ah, Mr. Giles. Alexander told me a lot about you. I must say, I'm impressed."
"How so?" Giles asked.
"Well, a man with your qualifications. I could need an employee like you. What do you say? One hundred thousand dollars a year enough for you?"
"What do you want," Giles finally asked, getting impatient.
"Okay, lets get to business," the Mayor told him and sighed. "I think you already noticed the absence of Miss Rosenburg."
"What have you done to her?" Giles now shouted into the phone, attracting the attention of the other Scoobies with this action.
"Oh she is here, at City Hall. She is healthy and unharmed, at least till now."
"What do you want," Giles asked angrily. Buffy was now standing in the doorway of his office, looking worried at the exchange.
"You are a clever man Mr. Giles I think you can guess that. You have my Box and I have your witch. I think an exchange is in order."
Giles thought about the possibilities.
"We have to discuss the details first," Giles finally told him.
"I thought so. I think I won't give you my number since it is in every phone book in the town. Good bye Mr. Giles," the Mayor told him and hung up.
"Giles, what happened," Buffy asked worried. Outside the office the other Scoobies were also trying to find out what happened.
Giles finally met her eyes.
"We have a problem."
"You got it?" Willow asked excited when she noticed the arriving group.
"Yep, one Box of Gavrock as you ordered," Buffy told her with a grin.
Angel placed the Box on the table.
"Were there any problems?" Wesley asked.
"Nope no problems W, " Faith told him and sat down on a chair.
"I assume you found the ritual?" Giles asked and looked at their preparations.
"Yeah, we found it. It was a bit hidden but we found it," Willow exclaimed proudly.
"And? Are you ready?" Buffy asked.
"Not really. You see, the ritual is not that complicated but we haven't got all the ingredients," Willow explained. "I just wanted to go to the Magic shop and get the ones that are missing."
"Okay Will. Hurry up," Buffy told her.
Willow grabbed her coat and left the library.
"And what's left for us to do?" Faith asked bored.
"We prepare for a possible attack Faith," Giles explained and went to his office. "Does anyone else want a cup of tea?"
"He prepares for an attack with a cup of tea?" Faith asked.
Buffy grinned as she replies "He prepares for almost anything with a cup of tea."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Xander burst through the Mayor's office door.
"I'm here boss. So, what are we gonna do?" Xander asked.
"Calm down Alexander. Just breathe. You've had a very stressful evening," the Mayor told him.
"Calm down?" Xander nearly shouted at him. " Those fucking boyscouts have the Box. The Box. You remember the Box, don't you?" The Mayor nodded. "The thing that you need to complete your Ascension. They have it now. And you tell me to calm down?"
"Alexander, there is no need to become impolite and please watch your language. Now sit down and we will talk about this problem," the Mayor told him in a calm tone and pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
"How can you be so calm about this," Xander asked him confused..
"Like I told you before, it wouldn't change things. So, your friends got have the Box. What do you think we should do?" he asked Xander.
Xander thought for a few seconds about their problem, before he answered the question.
"You gather a dozen vampires and let them storm the library. That should be enough, even for two slayers." Xander explained his plan.
"That would only be a waste of personnel. Your friends are certainly awaiting such an attack and have already prepared for it."
Again Xander thought about the possibilities.
"Okay , boss. I don't know what else we could do. Apart from going in there with a machine gun, I have no ideaa left."
"Your friends are all part of a group. They all have different abilities and have a different position in the team," the Mayor explained. "They are connected to each other like the links of a chain. And if your target is a chain, you always go for the weakest link."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Willow left the Magic shop. In her bag she had the remaining ingredients for the spell that would destroy the Box of Gavrock.
She she was just walking down the street when her path was blocked by man in a business suit.
"Willow Rosenburg?" the man asked.
"Yes," Willow answered shyly. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Mr. Smith. I'm here to get you for your appointment with the Mayor," he said and shifted into his game face.
Willow immediately turned around and started running in the opposite direction. But unfortunately she ran directly into the second vampire who already counted on that move.
The first vampire grabbed her by her feet while the other one took her arms. Right after they grabbed her, Willow started screaming and kicking, but against the supernatural strength of her two captors she had no chance.
"Stop screaming," the first vampire told her. " This is Sunnydale for God's sake. No one reacts if someone is screaming at night."
They carried the still struggling Willow to a black van. The door of the car of was opened from the interior and they threw her in the back, where she was already awaited by two other vampires.
"Man, she got a lot of life in her," the first one said and closed the door. "I wonder what her blood would taste like."
"Hey, she is a hostage, okay?" the second one explained and opened the driver's door. "That means no snacking."
"Damn " the other one exclaimed while he sat down on the passenger's seat. "Sometimes this job sucks."
"You have my sympathy," the second vamp told him and started the engine. He drove the black van out of its parking lot and in the general direction of City Hall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"So, who is the weakest link in the group?" Xander asked the Mayor.
"What do you think?" the Mayor threw the question back at Xander.
Xander had to think about that for a moment.
"Well there are a lot of possibilities. I mean, Oz is a werewolf but only on full moon. Giles is a watcher, but even he can't face more than two vamps. Cordy has no active power. And Willow always needs half an hour preparation before she can cast a spell."
Suddenly the Mayor's intercom was activated.
"Boss," came the voice over the speaker. "We have your package."
The Mayor pressed a button. "Wait outside the door until I call you," he told the vampires over the line. Then he shifted his attention back to Xander, who looked confused from the previous conversation. "So Alexander, what do you think?"
"Well all of them are pretty easy to catch. But you need someone important. Someone who is close to Buffy. So, that would be Giles or Willow," Xander explained. "Giles is like a father figure to her and Willow is her best friend."
"Come on Alexander. Which one?"
"I say Willow," Xander finally said.
"And we have a winner," the Mayor exclaimed happily. "Come in," he called in the direction of the door.
The two vampires entered the office. But Xander's whole attention was drawn to the gagged and tied up Willow they were pushing into the room.
"Oh my God," were the only words Xander could mutter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Giles, Willow is pretty late," Buffy told her watcher. "Do you think, that maybe something happened to her?"
"Buffy, I would not worry. She is only ten minutes late."
"You're right. Maybe I'm overreacting," she said and sighed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Where did you capture her?" Xander asked.
"After your phone call, I sent those two gentlemen to monitor the high school. Their orders were to either capture Mr. Giles or Miss Rosenburg if they should leave the building," the Mayor explained. "Now boys, no need to be rude. Would you please remove the gag."
"But Boss, she screams," one of the vampires explained.
"And? We're in an official building at night. No one can hear her. So, would you please remove the gag," the Mayor repeated his order.
One of the vampires finally pulled the gag out of Willow's mouth.
"So Miss Rosenburg, do you have anything to say?" the Mayor asked her with a smile.
But Willow only glared angrily at him.
"No? Didn't think so," the Mayor said and turned his attention to Xander. "Alexander you will keep her company until we have arranged the exchange."
"Exchange?" Willow asked confused.
"Of course Miss Rosenburg. We will exchange you for the Box of Gavrock. What did you think we kidnapped you for?" the Mayor asked rhetorically "Now show her the restroom Alexander while I prepare everything."
Xander grabbed her by the arm and lead her out of the office.
Right after the door closed behind them, the Mayor took the phone and began dialling.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Hello?" Giles answered the phone.
"Hello, am I connected to the Sunnydale library?" the voice on the other side asked.
"Yes you are. How can I help you?"
"This is Mayor Wilkins speaking" Giles eyes widened at the mention of the name. May I know who is on the other side?"
"Rupert Giles," he answered calmly.
"Ah, Mr. Giles. Alexander told me a lot about you. I must say, I'm impressed."
"How so?" Giles asked.
"Well, a man with your qualifications. I could need an employee like you. What do you say? One hundred thousand dollars a year enough for you?"
"What do you want," Giles finally asked, getting impatient.
"Okay, lets get to business," the Mayor told him and sighed. "I think you already noticed the absence of Miss Rosenburg."
"What have you done to her?" Giles now shouted into the phone, attracting the attention of the other Scoobies with this action.
"Oh she is here, at City Hall. She is healthy and unharmed, at least till now."
"What do you want," Giles asked angrily. Buffy was now standing in the doorway of his office, looking worried at the exchange.
"You are a clever man Mr. Giles I think you can guess that. You have my Box and I have your witch. I think an exchange is in order."
Giles thought about the possibilities.
"We have to discuss the details first," Giles finally told him.
"I thought so. I think I won't give you my number since it is in every phone book in the town. Good bye Mr. Giles," the Mayor told him and hung up.
"Giles, what happened," Buffy asked worried. Outside the office the other Scoobies were also trying to find out what happened.
Giles finally met her eyes.
"We have a problem."