Summary; a sequal to Non Omnis Moriar a very good and imaginative darkfic by Cyndey Williams on Unconventional Relationshippers which upset me so here is the happy sequal. PLEASE PLEASE read that first. Always been a sucker for Joyce, the title means 'Beloved Mother' hope I got the possessive case right (got 16 in my final exam after three years of Latin)

Spoilers/Timeline; Season 7 Bring on the Night

Rating; PG-Buff tells Joyce's ghost(?) about her and Faith's relationship. Adult themes, character death, lesbianism plus a REAL weepie.

Original at http/www.glamourousrags. belongs to Joss and not to me,purely for fun with no profit motive.

Distribution; do what you like.

Feedback; Amore

He reached up to break Buffy's neck as Joyce crumbled to dust. She didn't resist, stunned by the horror of what she had just done. With a smirk he realised that Joyce's last vision would be of him killing her daughter, bringing indescribable pleasure to her demon essence and utter agony to her human half. And Buffy's last sight would be of her killing her own mother. It was a shame neither of them would live with their pain.

He had no idea how she blocked him in time. Her Slayer reflexes fell back on training and instinct. The next minute was a blur of pain and blows too quick to comprehend. Then she was on top of him, staring him in the face, gently working her stake through his ribcage as he struggled to turn it away.

He knew he'd lost. His strength failed him. He decided to go out with one last shot.

"Guess that's something else we have in common now" he goaded her. "Both killed our mothers!"

"YOU-killed-my-mother!" she told him, sweat and hatred bathing her face.

He kissed her, working his tongue into her mouth as she forced the stake into his chest. At least he'd die with the taste of a Slayer in his mouth. He wrapped his legs around her waist and ground his pelvis against hers. She could feel his pulsing erection through his clothes, rubbing up against her, deriving sexual pleasure from her body even as she was killing him. The friction of his body moving back and forth against her nipples made them instinctively harden with pleasure despite all her efforts to stop them. She could feel him laughing, the mirth making his lips tremble, taking delight in the fact that he was using her as his plaything even as she destroyed him, even though she hated him more than anything in the world.

Then Angelus died.

Angel was there in his place.

Buffy stopped pushing, let the stake go, casting it to one side, comprehending what his sudden change in demeanor meant, the light in his eyes signifying that Amy had succeeded with her spell. She began kissing Angel back, cradling his head in her hands. In a few moments he would remember what had happened, stare at the heap of dust on the floor and be stricken with the guilt of what he had done.

But for now she just wanted to kiss him.

"You ok, honey?"

Buffy turned to face Faith. But it wasn't her.

"MOM!"

"You look tired Buffy, would you like some tea?"

She looked around the room. No one else was paying any attention. Joyce was dressed in plain white and glowing a little, just as Dawn had described her. The realisation hit her like a brick sinking in her stomach.

"You're not mom. You're the First"

"I'm really not honey. I love you, your father says he loves you too" She stroked Buffy's hair. Buffy jumped up as though scalded. The First COULDN'T touch!

"Mom?" She fought the tears and lost in a millisecond. It was a dream. The same dream she'd had for years after that dreadful night when she had staked the demon that wore her mother's face. Then, as now she felt Joyce's arms around her neck in a loving embrace. But this time she was warm, so very warm.

She half suspected a trick. Half expected to feel fangs in her throat or the wrenching pressure of her neck being broken. But she simply couldn't fight back. She was beyond that now. She would accept death rather than spoil this moment of nirvana.

All she felt was her head clutched to a welcoming bosom and lightly perfumed hair brushing her face, the familiar scent gracing her nostrils.

She sobbed. Great, choking sobs that wracked her entire body. She babbled.

"Oh god mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"

"That's ok, sweetheart, it's all ok now"

"I killed you..."

Joyce tensed. For a moment Buffy dreaded what was to come but Joyce simply sat her down and looked her in the eye.

"Buffy, the thing you killed wasn't me"

"Yes, but..."

"Buffy, that thing killed your father. It gutted him and posted you his intestines as a gift. It tortured and killed Willow and Xander, over days, it reveled in their suffering. The last thing it saw was Angelus reaching up to break your neck and it was happy to see it" She stroked Buffy's cheek. "Do you think I could ever do that?"

Buffy shook her head; a weight of guilt lifted from her shoulder's where she had borne it for years. She leaned in and hugged her mother around the waist burying her head in Joyce's stomach. She felt the hands running through her hair again.

"Xander and Willow?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"Together. Always. You seem to have made some interesting new friends" Buff looked around the room. Amy and Tara sat in the corner, chanting in a Wiccan ritual in an attempt to pinpoint the First. Harmony sat on the couch covertly filing her nails under the book she was supposed to be researching and ignoring Dawn who sat beside her, researching and giving her an exasperated baleful look. Jonathon and Larry were arguing again over how to fix the Buffybot whilst Oz quietly got on with fixing it as if it were no more difficult than wiring up an amp.

"Where's Angel?"

"I couldn't kill him, I blocked his breaking my neck, well, obviously I did otherwise I'd be with you. Amy and Jenny restored his soul. He and Cordy moved to LA. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't kill him for you" she stroked her hand gently, unwilling to meet her gaze.

"That's ok honey, nosy old mom still interfering with your relationships. Forgiveness comes easily now"

Buffy took her hand and looked her in the eyes. "You were NEVER interfering. I love you, Dawn loves you, we all love you".

Joyce grinned, a beatific smile on her face. "Anyone new?"

Buffy smiled back then felt a rising tide of anxiety "Here we go" she thought.

"Yes, I have someone new in my life. Her name is Faith. She's with Giles right now. We're lovers. We're in love" She let it sink in. "Pretty much lesbians, you know mom?"

Joyce's face registered shock for a second. But then the smile was there again. "You love who you love, Buffy. I hope you're both very happy together. But my dear, sweet, brave, girl, you never stop suprising me!" They laughed together, Buffy wiping away her tears.

"How come you're here, mom?"

"You do a lot of good, Buffy. You earn a few privileges now and then. Look after our Dawnie. I love you..."

"BUFFSTER!"

She awoke with a start. Larry was leaning over her in his normal cro-mag manner.

"You were dreaming, Buff. Jenny's on the phone. She and Giles think they've got a handle on this First Evil thing"

She gathered herself together quickly as Larry handed her the phone, leaving the din of the living room where the boys were arguing over who'd really fixed the bot and Dawn and Harmony were painting it's nails and disagreeing about the colour. Amy and Tara were ignoring this and watching reruns of Ellen on TV, stroking Miss Kitty Fantastico alternatively as she lay between them.

In the hall she paused for a moment, cupping her hand over the phone to give herself a moment's privacy before talking to Jenny. It felt hokey, even to her but she opened the door and looked skywards into the starry night.

"I know we don't talk much. I'm not even sure there's anyone listening up there. But thank you, thank you for tonight. Thank you for letting me see her again, it was all I ever wished for"

The night stretched into eternity, unresponsive, the sky was cold and sharp but Buffy Summer's felt warm, as though the day was new.