"Giles, what happened?" Buffy asked worried. "Who was on the phone."
Giles looked down on the floor and thought how he could answer her question. Finally he was able to meet her eyes.
"It was the Mayor," he told her. "They have Willow."
Everyone in the library was quiet as they heard the news
"What did he want?" Buffy finally asked, with a hoarse voice.
"The Box" Giles explained. "He wants to exchange Willow against the Box."
Buffy thought a moment about the situation, but couldn't find another possibility.
"Okay, seems like we have no other option. Giles, call the Mayor. Tell him that we will make it," she told her watcher. She looked at Oz, who looked normal and was as usual a loss of words. " We will get her back," she told the young werewolf, who nodded grateful at that statement.
"Wait," Wesley interrupted them.
"What Wesley?" Buffy asked annoyed.
"You can not give him the box. That could cost thousands of people their lives," he explained to her.
Surprisingly it was not Buffy that answered him but Faith. "W, shut up, you're not in charge here."
"Am I the only one rationally thinking here. The Box is the only thing that could prevent the Mayor's Ascension."
"We got the Box once, we can get it another time," Buffy told him and took a step forward to the watcher. "But we only have one Willow. And that's it," she said and turned her attention back to Giles.
"So, where do we make the exchange?" Giles asked her.
It took Buffy only a few seconds to come up with a suitable location.
"The cafeteria. If we look all the doors they can only come through the main entrance," she explained.
Giles nodded at that, satisfied with the plan. He turned around and walked into his office to call City Hall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Xander accompanied Willow into the Mayor's new conference room. He took two chairs from the table and sat down on one of them. He motioned to Willow to sit down on the other one, which she did after a few seconds.
Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes until Xander decided to break the silence.
"You want anything?" he asked her "A soda, a coke?"
"No thanks." Willow answered her head cast down.
Xander shrugged. "Your choice."
Finally Willow looked up and studied Xander's face.
"So what's gonna happen now?" she asked "You exchange me for the Box?"
Xander only nodded at that question.
"And if they don't want to exchange it? Will the Mayor kill me then? Or will he order you to kill me?"
Xander sighed. "Maybe," he answered.
Willow only shook her head.
"How did we get here. How did you get so cold, Xander?"
"Practise," was his only answer.
Willow looked bewildered at him. "That's all you have to say about this?" she asked him with disgust in her voice.
"What do you want to hear Will?" he asked her annoyed. "I could list a lot of reasons that lead us to this point. My parent's death, my little journey through the US, me killing Travers. You can pick one."
Again none of them spoke.
"So, you would really kill me?" she asked.
"Yes. But I wouldn't think too much about it. I don't think it will get this far. The Mayor chose you, because you are close to Buffy. She would not risk your life, not even for the Box."
"And what's in for you?"
"Huh?" he asked puzzled.
"The Mayor must have offered you something more than a steady paycheck. After all you are going to help him to kill the whole population of Sunnydale, including your former friends."
Xander smiled at that. Noteworthy, even when her life is threatened Willow was able to make the most complex thoughts.
"Yeah he did. You see, when the Mayor turns into a demon he won't need all his money," he explained to her. So, he's gonna give it to the person he trusts most, me. I'm gonna be long gone when the massacre starts. Maybe on the Bahamas, or Hawaii. I haven't really decided yet."
"Money? You are doing this for money," Willow nearly shouted at him, with a look of outrage on her face.
"Yeah, why are you so surprised?" he asked. "Everything's about money these days. And I have to think of my future. You think I will be able to do this kind of work for the rest of my life? And I think the Mayor's money will be a nice retirement fund."
But before Willow could question him further the Mayor entered the room through the big double doors, a big smile plastered on his face.
"Now children . Did you have fun," he asked cheeringly.
"A lot," Xander answered dryly. "So? what's going to happen?"
"Well, get your little friend and then we will make a little field trip to the school," the Mayor told him and left the room.
Slowly Xander and Willow stood up and followed the politician.
"You see Willow, everything is going according to plan." Xander told her as they walked through the corridors of City Hall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
After a five minute ride the Mayor's limousine finally reached Sunnydale High. Xander, the Mayor, Willow and the two vampires that had captured her left the big car and entered the high school.
Xander quickly lead them in the direction of the cafeteria, the vampires guarding Willow all the time.
Finally they arrived at their destination. Xander opened the door for his boss and the little group went inside the room.
Xander immediately spotted the Scoobie gang on the other side of the cafeteria. Everyone was there. Buffy, Faith, Angel, Giles, Cordelia, Oz and the new watcher.
"Well, this is exciting," the Mayor said and shuddered for effect. "Us meeting here at night."
"Glad you're liking it," Buffy responded dryly, but moved her attention to Willow. "Are you okay?" she asked the red haired hacker.
Willow nodded at that.
"Okay, I think we should finish this. It's already pretty late and I have an important meeting in the morning," the Mayor explained. "Alexander will bring Miss Rosenburg to the middle of the room and Mr. Angel will hand the Box to Mr Smith here," he said and pointed at the vampire to his left.
"All right," Buffy said.
Slowly both groups went to the middle of the room. Angel handed the Box to the vampire and Xander let Willow run to the rest of the gang, where she threw her arms around Oz and hugged him hard. After that both sides took a few steps back, so they were a few feet before their respective groups.
"We are finished," Buffy stated while Oz checked Willow for injuries.
"No I don't think so," the Mayor told her with a smile. "You see, that you were able to get your hands on the box proved one thing: That I underestimated your little group. You are a possible obstacle for my Ascension. And the only thing I do with obstacles is to remove them," he said and snapped with his finger.
On command five additional vampires entered the room and took position behind their boss. During all this Xander had drawn his two USPs and aimed them at Giles, who was the only one armed with a crossbow and therefore the greatest threat for him. On the other side the Scoobies had also taken their weapons and prepared themselves for the battle.
The Mayor sighed and shook his head. "Tomorrow morning the Sunnydale Press will report the death of few students and their librarian. A couple of wild animals broke free from the nearby zoo. There were no survivors. What a tragedy," he said and turned his attention to Xander. "Alexander, start whenever you want."
On that command, Xander's finger tightened on the trigger. On the other side of the room Giles did the same. Both were ready to shoot.
And then all hell broke loose.
Giles looked down on the floor and thought how he could answer her question. Finally he was able to meet her eyes.
"It was the Mayor," he told her. "They have Willow."
Everyone in the library was quiet as they heard the news
"What did he want?" Buffy finally asked, with a hoarse voice.
"The Box" Giles explained. "He wants to exchange Willow against the Box."
Buffy thought a moment about the situation, but couldn't find another possibility.
"Okay, seems like we have no other option. Giles, call the Mayor. Tell him that we will make it," she told her watcher. She looked at Oz, who looked normal and was as usual a loss of words. " We will get her back," she told the young werewolf, who nodded grateful at that statement.
"Wait," Wesley interrupted them.
"What Wesley?" Buffy asked annoyed.
"You can not give him the box. That could cost thousands of people their lives," he explained to her.
Surprisingly it was not Buffy that answered him but Faith. "W, shut up, you're not in charge here."
"Am I the only one rationally thinking here. The Box is the only thing that could prevent the Mayor's Ascension."
"We got the Box once, we can get it another time," Buffy told him and took a step forward to the watcher. "But we only have one Willow. And that's it," she said and turned her attention back to Giles.
"So, where do we make the exchange?" Giles asked her.
It took Buffy only a few seconds to come up with a suitable location.
"The cafeteria. If we look all the doors they can only come through the main entrance," she explained.
Giles nodded at that, satisfied with the plan. He turned around and walked into his office to call City Hall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Xander accompanied Willow into the Mayor's new conference room. He took two chairs from the table and sat down on one of them. He motioned to Willow to sit down on the other one, which she did after a few seconds.
Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes until Xander decided to break the silence.
"You want anything?" he asked her "A soda, a coke?"
"No thanks." Willow answered her head cast down.
Xander shrugged. "Your choice."
Finally Willow looked up and studied Xander's face.
"So what's gonna happen now?" she asked "You exchange me for the Box?"
Xander only nodded at that question.
"And if they don't want to exchange it? Will the Mayor kill me then? Or will he order you to kill me?"
Xander sighed. "Maybe," he answered.
Willow only shook her head.
"How did we get here. How did you get so cold, Xander?"
"Practise," was his only answer.
Willow looked bewildered at him. "That's all you have to say about this?" she asked him with disgust in her voice.
"What do you want to hear Will?" he asked her annoyed. "I could list a lot of reasons that lead us to this point. My parent's death, my little journey through the US, me killing Travers. You can pick one."
Again none of them spoke.
"So, you would really kill me?" she asked.
"Yes. But I wouldn't think too much about it. I don't think it will get this far. The Mayor chose you, because you are close to Buffy. She would not risk your life, not even for the Box."
"And what's in for you?"
"Huh?" he asked puzzled.
"The Mayor must have offered you something more than a steady paycheck. After all you are going to help him to kill the whole population of Sunnydale, including your former friends."
Xander smiled at that. Noteworthy, even when her life is threatened Willow was able to make the most complex thoughts.
"Yeah he did. You see, when the Mayor turns into a demon he won't need all his money," he explained to her. So, he's gonna give it to the person he trusts most, me. I'm gonna be long gone when the massacre starts. Maybe on the Bahamas, or Hawaii. I haven't really decided yet."
"Money? You are doing this for money," Willow nearly shouted at him, with a look of outrage on her face.
"Yeah, why are you so surprised?" he asked. "Everything's about money these days. And I have to think of my future. You think I will be able to do this kind of work for the rest of my life? And I think the Mayor's money will be a nice retirement fund."
But before Willow could question him further the Mayor entered the room through the big double doors, a big smile plastered on his face.
"Now children . Did you have fun," he asked cheeringly.
"A lot," Xander answered dryly. "So? what's going to happen?"
"Well, get your little friend and then we will make a little field trip to the school," the Mayor told him and left the room.
Slowly Xander and Willow stood up and followed the politician.
"You see Willow, everything is going according to plan." Xander told her as they walked through the corridors of City Hall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
After a five minute ride the Mayor's limousine finally reached Sunnydale High. Xander, the Mayor, Willow and the two vampires that had captured her left the big car and entered the high school.
Xander quickly lead them in the direction of the cafeteria, the vampires guarding Willow all the time.
Finally they arrived at their destination. Xander opened the door for his boss and the little group went inside the room.
Xander immediately spotted the Scoobie gang on the other side of the cafeteria. Everyone was there. Buffy, Faith, Angel, Giles, Cordelia, Oz and the new watcher.
"Well, this is exciting," the Mayor said and shuddered for effect. "Us meeting here at night."
"Glad you're liking it," Buffy responded dryly, but moved her attention to Willow. "Are you okay?" she asked the red haired hacker.
Willow nodded at that.
"Okay, I think we should finish this. It's already pretty late and I have an important meeting in the morning," the Mayor explained. "Alexander will bring Miss Rosenburg to the middle of the room and Mr. Angel will hand the Box to Mr Smith here," he said and pointed at the vampire to his left.
"All right," Buffy said.
Slowly both groups went to the middle of the room. Angel handed the Box to the vampire and Xander let Willow run to the rest of the gang, where she threw her arms around Oz and hugged him hard. After that both sides took a few steps back, so they were a few feet before their respective groups.
"We are finished," Buffy stated while Oz checked Willow for injuries.
"No I don't think so," the Mayor told her with a smile. "You see, that you were able to get your hands on the box proved one thing: That I underestimated your little group. You are a possible obstacle for my Ascension. And the only thing I do with obstacles is to remove them," he said and snapped with his finger.
On command five additional vampires entered the room and took position behind their boss. During all this Xander had drawn his two USPs and aimed them at Giles, who was the only one armed with a crossbow and therefore the greatest threat for him. On the other side the Scoobies had also taken their weapons and prepared themselves for the battle.
The Mayor sighed and shook his head. "Tomorrow morning the Sunnydale Press will report the death of few students and their librarian. A couple of wild animals broke free from the nearby zoo. There were no survivors. What a tragedy," he said and turned his attention to Xander. "Alexander, start whenever you want."
On that command, Xander's finger tightened on the trigger. On the other side of the room Giles did the same. Both were ready to shoot.
And then all hell broke loose.