Buffy's up at the mansion and is spending her time beating up Angel - they're training. Buffy manages to throw Angel on the ground and pins him threatening him with a breadstick (in place of a more dangerous stake). Angel decides that that's enough training for one day and Buffy tells him that her dad is going to take her to an Ice Show for her 18th birthday.

Later on she goes to the Library, where Giles is teaching her the different properties of different crystals and making her concentrate on them. Afterwards she goes on patrol and nearly becomes an ex-Slayer when her powers give out on her and she is nearly staked by the vampire she's fighting.

The next day, Buffy goes to see Giles as she's rather worried, proving her lack of Slayer ability by throwing knives (badly) and breaking one of the lamps in the Library. Giles tells her not to worry about it.

On the other side of town, Quentin Tavers, an important Watcher is setting up a 'test' for the Slayer. Basically, she is going to be locked up in a building and made to fight and defeat a crazy and powerful vampire. The vampire in question is called Zachary Kralick.

Giles and Tavers meet up, Giles is having doubts about the test, and tries to convince Tavers not to go ahead with it, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

Buffy gets a letter from her father and is disappionted to learn that her father isn't going to take her to the ice Show after all. She goes to see Giles, to try and make him go to the Ice Show in her father's place, but instead he gets her to work on staring at the crystals. Buffy puts herself, unintentionally, into a trance and while she's zoned out, Giles injects her with a concoction which disables her Slayer powers.