"Why is it that vampires always insist on the bad boy look?" The small blond girl parred a brief punch and ducked under a clumsy kick before resuming her one way conversation, "I mean would it be too much to ask for one of you deadbeats to dress up once in a while?" She laid a couple of well placed punches and plunged the stake home, the vampire crumbled. Buffy Summers shook her head and laughed, "I beat the dead, dead beat," she turned, still giggling, and headed back home.

Slaying had been slow for a while, well not slow but uninteresting. Nothing but the run of the mill breed of vampires had crossed her path for a long time and Buffy was tired of it, she wanted some excitement.

-----

The last of the Scoobys bounced into the room which signaled the start of the meeting. " So G-man whats up?"

"Ah, yes. I have asked you to be here because there seems to be a very important issue which has come up," Giles shifted his weight apparently trying to work up the courage to say what he had too.

" What's the deal," Buffy queried " Just point me in the right direction. I'll take it out!"

"Bu-Buffy its not quite that simple."

"I told you Giles it's nothing, anyway i'm just itching for a good kill. Come on spill."

"It's just Buffy the problem is human."

"Oh."

"It's the watchers council, they have decided that it is time for you to undergo the ritual of reprodução "

"Reprawhatsit?"

"Reprodução, but Buffy this ritual it-"

"Its not going to happen."

"Buffy this-"

"No!" Buffy was pacing the floor, clearly agitated. "Giles I quit. I'm not going to let them test me in some crazy outdated test that won't even let me use my strength. Tell them no."

"I'm with Buffy," Willow stated. "She quit the council, they can't make her do any more tests because she doesn't work for them any more."

"You don't understand. Being a slayer isn't an occupation it's a sacred birthright. Buffy you were born into this and the watchers council doesn't believe that you can quit. It would be almost as if you were ignoring your birthright and they would not allow that. The only reason they have not yet sent another watcher is your stubbornness and the fact that you have been preforming your slayer duties extremely well in the absence of one. However your lack of watcher does not mean that you are exempt from the trials and rituals that are required of the Slayer."

"Giles I don't care what they think, I am not doing anything for them." Buffy crossed her arms and glared at her watcher furious and stubborn.

"Well then we must do something because, as I understand this Buffy, it has already begun."

"What do you mean Giles! Did you do something to me," Buffy growled.

"No, calm yourself. I assure you I quit the council and so I am no longer a part of any of there practices. Yet this makes it some what difficult to precisely understand what the ritual entails."

"What do you mean?" Xander spoke alerting the group to his presence. "Tell us what they're planning and we can go put a stop to it right now."

"That's where I'm a little shaky."

"What do you know Giles?" Buffy asked. A sneaking suspicion was growing making her wonder just what Giles had to give her.

"I um... I know that the ritual has something to do with a birth."

"A birth of what, a demon? Cause I could slay that."

"I am not quite clear I think the best thing we could do would be for you to lay low for a little Buffy. You should avoid the council until I figure out just what they are planning."

Willow smiled, "Do I sense a little late-night research party at Giles'?"

"Ah yes, Willow you talents would be much appreciated."

"As much as I would love to spend the night here searching through musty books I think I could be better help if I patrolled since Buffy is gonna be trying to stay off the council's radar."

"Alright Xander but I want you to swing by Spikes crypt and bring him with you." Buffy said.

"But Buffy I don't wanna spend my night with the bleached wonder."

"No, Buffy is right," Giles stated. "You must patrol with Spike for your own safety if you see anything suspicious come and alert me immediately." Xander sighed, resigned to his fate of a long night of insults and annoyances. Giles' old books were starting to appear in a new and much more favorable light.

-----

The gang split for the night Xander leaving to find Spike, Willow and Giles settling down to study and Buffy heading back to her house to round up the necessary belongings for her forced vacation. Maybe it won't be so bad, Buffy thought. I mean getting to be a normal person for once, to forget about all of my problems and just be a regular girl. Yeah, maybe this council crisis isn't such a bad idea after all.

-----

It was a beautiful day the sky was blue and sun was beating down, filling Buffy Summers with a feeling of peace that she hadn't felt since before she was called. Buffy had decided that the best way to lay low would be to do what everyone else did when they were on vacation: got to a spa/hotel on the beautiful beach of sunny California.

So there she was soaking in the sun and being waited on when the watchers council found her. Buffy didn't bother to consider that they had considerable resources when she checked herself into a five star hotel using a borrowed credit card of her mothers. It took the council all of an hour to locate the blonde once they noticed she was missing and only five minutes after that to dispatch an agent armed with a trigger to begin the process. Buffy Summers was completely unaware when she sipped on her daiquiri which happened to be laced with the council's drug and fell into a warm restful slumber.