Things continued to be quiet in Sunnydale until mid January when, one night during a patrol, Alexander's scanner read a vampire in an old abandoned house. The group approached the house and were surprised to see humans going in and out. They could clearly hear them talking.
"How much longer, Hobson?"
"Five, maybe six hours, sir."
"Once you're finished, you and Blair can get some rest, but sleep in shifts. We're getting very close. The Slayer's preparation is nearly complete."
"Preparation for what?" Alexander asked, startling the men, who hadn't heard anyone approach.
"None of your business, young man. You shouldn't be out at night, it's dangerous, especially in this town, with all the gangs and such."
"There are no gangs, we've eliminated them all. I assume you're referring to vampires? Like the one you have in the house. Which Slayer is this preparation for? Buffy or Faith?"
"What do you know about Slayers, young man?" The rotund man demanded.
"That the gods have no use for cowards who hide behind children and expect the children to fight their battles for them."
"Vampires aren't welcome in this town." Corda told them. "We're going to have to eliminate the one you have in here. Why do you have a vampire in here? What are you planning to do to Buffy or Faith?"
The man remained stubbornly silent. Alexander moved to deal with the vampire. "Stop him!" The man ordered. The men moved towards Alexander, certain they could deal with a teenager. Then they were both staring up at the ceiling and wondering how they'd ended up on their backs.
"Let's see what's in the box." He said, opening it to find a vampire in a straight jacket. Not wanting these men to know about his pulse pistol, Alexander stepped back and said. "Buffy, I'm wondering if this is a birthday present for you. If so, it's up to you to determine how best to dispose of it."
"Like this?" She suggested and pulled out her stake and dusted it.
The man was glaring at them. "You're not supposed to be here! Mr. Giles will be disciplined for this!"
"Giles? What does Giles have to do with this?" Buffy asked.
"I'm guessing they're from the Watchers Council. The accent kinda gives them away." Johnathan observed. "They must have expected Giles to do something to keep you busy and he didn't do it."
"Then let's go see Giles and see what it was supposed to be." Alexander said, as Buffy grabbed the guy by his arm and quick marched him toward Giles condo.
"Quentin? What are you doing here? I told you I wouldn't participate in this barbarism."
"The Tento di Cruciamentum is a time honored tradition and rite of passage for any Slayer that has reached the age of eighteen!"
"Most don't, according to the Chronicles." Alexander said. "And something that translates as test of torture, should not ever be considered a tradition. What the Hell is it for, anyway?"
"They claim it tests a Slayer's resourcefulness and adaptability." Giles said scornfully.
"Since Slayers aren't taught how to be either resourceful or adaptable, I wonder how that's possible." Corda said.
"Mr. Giles, you are fired! You have lost all perspective. We are fighting a war. Sacrifices must be made."
"First off, you're not fighting anything, we are." Alexander said coldly. "Second, children should never be sacrificed to war or ideals or to protect cowards, like you. Have you ever actually fought a vampire? I have. The first vampire I ever staked wore the face of the closest thing to a brother I ever had. I was three weeks past my sixteenth birthday. To survive this town, we had to learn to fight back and we have. As we said earlier, we've virtually eliminated all the vampires and demons in Sunnydale. We just turned eighteen. All except for Faith and you won't be allowed to do this test on her either."
"She's a U.S. citizen. We can have you arrested for attempted murder!" Johnathan glared at the man.
"Leave and don't come back." Oz told him.
The man slammed his way out of the door.
"Alexander, were you talking about Jesse?" Johnathan asked softly.
"Yes, two days after Buffy came to town, the Xander part of me dusted him. He got taken the night she arrived here. We tried to save him, but we were too late."
"God, no wonder you're so determined to keep us safe."
"I must say, I'm quite proud of all of you. You found out what they were doing and stopped it. I had hoped I'd stopped it by refusing to participate, but I underestimated their determination." Giles said.
"I'm proud of you too." Jenny told him. "It's not easy to go against the traditions you're raised with. What will you do now?"
"Exactly what I'm already doing, helping."