(Vision. Joyce's bedroom/grave. Lingering shot of the headstone. Cut to Willow and Buffy #2 staring at it. Buffy turns to go. )

WILLOW: No. Buffy! Leave Dawn alone. What is this?

BUFFY: My gift. This is what I do.

WILLOW: I'm not talking about this, I'm talking about ... Right here, it happened. I know it's something small, but it's something. What?

BUFFY: Don't go there, Will.

WILLOW: I'm not! You're the one who keeps dragging me back here. And you wouldn't be doing that if you weren't trying to show me something.

BUFFY: Do I?

WILLOW: Buffy, c'mon. It's your brain. Just tell me. What happened here?

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: This was when I quit, Will.

WILLOW: You did?

BUFFY: Just for a second.

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: I remember I was in the magic shop. I put a book back for Giles. Nothing special about it. And then, it hit me.

WILLOW: What hit you?

BUFFY: I can't beat Glory.

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: Glory's going to win.

WILLOW: You can't know that.

BUFFY: I didn't just know it.

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: I felt it. Glory will beat me.

BUFFY: And in that second of knowing it, Will ...

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: I wanted it to happen.

WILLOW: Why?

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: I wanted it over. This is - all of this - too much for me.

BUFFY: I just wanted it over.

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: If Glory wins, then Dawn dies.

BUFFY: I would grieve. People would feel sorry for me. But it would all be over. I imagined what a relief that would be. I killed Dawn.

WILLOW: Is that what you think?

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: My thinking it made it happen. Some part of me wanted it. And in the moment Glory took Dawn ...

BUFFY: I know I could have done something better. But I didn't. I was off by some fraction of a second.

BOOKSHELF BUFFY: And this is why.

BUFFY: I killed my sister.

WILLOW: I think Spike was right back at the gas station. (sharp) Snap out of it!

BOTH BUFFYS: What?

WILLOW: All this - it has a name. It's called guilt. It's a feeling, and it's important, but it's not more than that, Buffy. Buffys. You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. And I know you didn't ask for this, but you do it, every day. And so you wanted out for one second, so what?

BUFFY: I got Dawn killed ...

WILLOW: Hello! Your sister - not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us.

BUFFY: And what if I can't?

WILLOW: Then I guess you're right. And you did kill your sister.

BUFFY: Wait. Where are you going?

WILLOW: Where you're needed. Are you coming?

(Shot of Buffy #2 staring at Willow. Behind Buffy #2, Buffy #1 walks up to the bookcase and puts the book on the shelf. Pauses. Cut to the real Buffy in the chair in the bedroom. Suddenly with a start she comes to, sits up straighter, looks around, breathing heavily. Suddenly she bursts into tears. Willow gets up off the bed and kneels beside Buffy's chair, puts her arms around Buffy and holds her as she cries. )

• Buffy & Dawn
• Buffy vs Glory
• Slayerhood
• Willow & Buffy

written by: Douglas Petrie; I modified text from Rayne's shooting script to match televised version & my formatting.. Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/99weightofworld.html