'The Weight of the World' Story Code '5ABB21' by Douglas Petrie

Now that she finally has the Key, Glory is euphoric; while her minions begin packing her things, Glory makes plans to return to her hell-dimension and kill the Hell Gods that exiled her here. She asks for Dawn’s advice, but the terrified young girl is bound and gagged. Elsewhere, inside the gas station, the Scooby gang consider their next move, while Spike hotwires Ben’s car. In the half-an-hour since Glory took Dawn Buffy has been in an unresponsive, catatonic state; when Spike slaps her, but to no effect, Xander grabs him and they begin to fight. Willow magically separates them, then takes control of the situation, telling Xander to take Giles to hospital, Anya to look after Tara, and Spike to track Glory down, while she herself will save Buffy. When Spike asks what they are going to do about Ben, reminding them that he turned into Glory, no one can grasp what he is trying to say; Spike realises that humans are mystically influenced to forget the transformation, and see Ben and Glory as two separate people. Glory takes Dawn to a workshop, where all her previous victims are now busily constructing something for her. A priest arrives to anoint the Key, but Glory sends him away and starts gloating over her victory; as she rambles on, the Beast becomes worried that she is being infected with human emotions. She recalls the priest to anoint Dawn, telling the girl that tomorrow they will drain all the blood from her body, activating the Key and causing the walls between dimensions to collapse. Willow prepares her magic supplies at Xander’s apartment, confiding in Anya that she is unsure how to cure Buffy. In the bedroom, Willow lights candles and sits opposite Buffy; entering her mind, Willow finds herself in the Summer’s home, now painted differently. She meets a little blond girl - Buffy. Meanwhile, Spike searches Glory’s deserted apartment and finds the dingy bedroom that Ben used. Willow tries to get little Buffy to come with her, but they are interrupted by Joyce and Hank Summers arriving home with baby Dawn; Buffy is worried that her parents will now ignore her, but Joyce brings her around by letting her hold Dawn, reinforcing her new role as ‘big sister’. The scene changes to one of adult Buffy putting a book on the shelf at the ‘Magic Box’; Willow then finds herself in the desert next to a raging bonfire. As Xander and Giles leave the hospital, Xander notes that all of the mental patients have escaped; Spike joins them, reporting that he found nothing at Glory’s, but that he knows of a demon that may be able to help. As Spike and Xander leave, the vampire comments about finding Ben’s things at Glory’s; when Xander is surprised to hear that Ben and Glory are connected, a frustrated Spike slaps him round the head and begins explaining about Glory and Ben once more. Meanwhile, Glory is miserable because Ben’s memories and emotions are invading her mind; she asks Dawn what happened in the desert, and Dawn recalls Ben changing into Glory. This upsets Glory even more, as the magic that keeps her secret is fading; she grabs Dawn, deciding to use the Key right away. Willow watches as Buffy learns from the First Slayer that death is her gift; this confuses Willow, who then watches as Buffy puts a book back on the shelf in the ‘Magic Box’, before finding herself in Buffy’s house, watching her friend walk through the upstairs hallway. Glory’s minions manage to convince their mistress not to kill Dawn yet. Willow tries to talk to Buffy as they enter Joyce’s room, which has a gravestone in it; Buffy reminds her that death is her gift. They go into Dawn’s room, where her sister is in bed; Buffy sits next to her, telling Willow that death is her purpose - it is what she is; then, despite Willow’s protests, she calmly places a pillow over Dawn’s face, pressing it down until the girl stops struggling. Glory transforms into Ben; Dawn asks him to help her escape, but he is overwhelmed by memories of the murders that Glory has committed. He then knocks the priest unconscious, and escapes with Dawn. Willow again finds herself in the Summers house as Dawn arrives, before seeing Buffy in the shop putting the book onto the shelf. Spike and Xander arrive at the house of the demon, Doc, the same demon that told Dawn how to bring back her mother; Xander suddenly realises that Ben and Glory are the same person - the magic that prevents humans from remembering is waning. When Spike explains the situation to Doc, the demon warns them to stay out of the way of Glorificus; Spike becomes suspicious of the way he has moved in front of a box to prevent them seeing it; Doc grabs a sword, knocking Spike down and using his unnaturally long tongue to slam Xander against the wall. Doc reveals that he is a worshipper of Glory, and casts the box into the fire. Xander recovers and pushes Doc away from Spike, who retrieves the box from the flames, as Xander drives the sword into Doc’s chest. However, as they leave, Doc’s eyes open. Buffy and Willow are upstairs in the Summers house; Willow tries to prevent her killing Dawn, but Buffy assures her that she did kill her sister, and suffocates her once more. After Dawn and Ben hide in an alley Dawn hits Ben over the head, knocking him unconscious; but before she can get away, Glory emerges; Dawn watches as Glory and Ben struggle for control of the body they share. Ben finally assumes control and takes Dawn back to the minions, telling her he has to do it to save himself. Willow watches Buffy in the Summers house, but before they reach Dawn’s room the scene changes to the ‘Magic Box’; Willow and Buffy watch as another Buffy shelves the book over and over again. Willow wonders why this event is important, and both Buffys reply that this was the moment she realised she could never defeat Glory; a part of her welcomed that possibility, as the fighting and conflict would be over. Buffy believes that she gave Dawn up to Glory, therefore killing her. Willow tells Buffy to get over her guilt - Dawn is not dead yet. She turns to leave, informing Buffy that she is going to fight Buffy’s fight, and invites the Slayer to join her. Back in Xander’s apartment the two women wake from their trance, and Buffy begin to weep as Willow holds her. The rest of the gang are at the ‘Magic Box’ when Buffy and Willow arrive; Giles tells Buffy that he has studied the scroll that Spike and Xander retrieved, learning that Glory plans to drain Dawn’s blood in order to open the walls between the dimensions, which will then collapse, allowing chaos and destruction to reign. The only way to prevent the ceremony is for Buffy to kill Dawn...

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), James Marsters (Spike), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn), Clare Kramer (Glory), Charlie Webber (Ben), Dean Butler (Hank Summers), Lily Knight (Grodi), Bob Morrisey (Crazy #1), Amber Benson (Tara), Special Guest: Joel Grey (Doc), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Todd Duffey (Murk), Alexandra Lee (Young Buffy), Paul Bates (Crazy #2), Carl J. Johnson (Crazy #3), Matthew Lang (High Priest Minion)
Directed by David Solomon

TX (US): 15th May 2001
TX (UK - Sky One): 25th May 2001

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara and Dawn