A very confused Buffy sat in her living room, wondering why her friends had turned on her.
"Mom, how can they think I'm responsible for people dying? I didn't endanger the world."
"Yes, you did. And yes, you are morally and possibly legally responsible for all of those deaths."
Buffy stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Mom! How can you say that?!"
"Because it's the truth, Buffy."
"But I'm the Slayer."
"What does that mean to you, Buffy? What does being the Slayer mean to you?"
"That I'm right. That how I decide to handle the situation is how it's supposed to be handled. Because, as the Slayer, I know these things. I know how to fight demons, I know how to use weapons. I know the best way to fight!"
"But you don't know how to think of alternatives. You're making assumptions. Being the Slayer doesn't make you God and only God is right all of the time. Xander's right, Buffy, you've messed up, badly. You chose wrong. Over and over again and people died because of your choices."
"But I'm supposed to know these things."
"Some things, not all things."
"It's my fault? I didn't make the right choices?"
"Yes."
Tears rolled down Buffy cheeks. Perhaps the one person in the world who could make her see the error of her ways was her mother.
"People died because of me. Because I chose wrong. Do I love Angel?"
"I don't think so, Buffy. I think, you thought he was the one who deserved you. But he was a fantasy. You never bothered to get to know him. And you refused to see anything, other then the fantasy. Reality doesn't live up to fantasy."
"Xander had to make him help save me. He left Sunnydale without even saying goodbye. He doesn't love me."
"No, he doesn't. He puts himself first. He's too afraid to try."
"How do I fix this?"
"You can't, Buffy. You can't bring any one of those people back. All you can do, is try to change. Try to understand, you're not right, simply because you're a Slayer. Such thinking is dangerous and deceptive and very self centered. You are not automatically in charge. Your solution isn't always the correct one. And people are the reason we fight. Protecting them. You have to choose to put the world first. You've been putting yourself first."
Buffy sobbed as her mother held her.
The next day, Joyce went to see Giles.
"I'm taking Buffy away for awhile. I understand you used to work at the British Museum."
"Yes, for many years before being assigned to Buffy."
"I'm going to ask you to keep an eye on my gallery. I can't afford to lose the income. I don't know how long we're going to be gone. Buffy's just beginning to see how bad her choices have been. That people have died because of her. She needs time to accept and adjust to that. I'm not certain that Xander isn't also right, in thinking, that she needs help. Professional help. But there's no one I can take her to. So, I'm going to take her away for awhile. Try to help her adjust to reality."
"I understand. I was blind and I'm sorry. I contributed to this. I supported her in everything she did, because I thought that was what she needed. It's wasn't. She needed boundaries and discipline. Faith is thriving under Professor Dormer's guidance. Buffy is floundering under mine. Would I have done as bad a job with Faith, if I was her Watcher?"
"I'm very much afraid you would have."