It's nearly four in the morning and I have been reading for about two and a half hours. I have a box of tissues half used and still have the stray tear running down my cheek.

And I couldn't be happier.

NikaDawson, my Twinlet and someone I consider my dearest friend, linked a writer called Enigmaticblue to me about three weeks ago. I've read a handfull of her stuff and loved - almost linked a story called Et Lux In Tenebris Lucet (And the Light Shineth in the Darkness) - but it waited, and then I read Normal's a Place in Illinois (She is so good I am reading all of her long stories first in posted order, I've already done most of her 'Sagas').

The fic is AU in that Spike is human when he returns from Africa but the writing is spot on and her introduction of new character do not deter from the fic at all but instead all a wonderful layer. Simon, an OC, for example reads as a younger Spike in more ways than one without being a rip off.

This story will make you cry if you get to the end and even the one or two things that feel cliche are beautiful.

Just to put people's minds at ease, it's rated PG-13 and there is nothing in it that NetNanny would cringe at.

There is no link to this one story so link is the link to the Long Story section.

I know I just posted this in the Spuffy fanfiction spot but as that only has about 28 users and not much activity, coupled with my still state of sniffling over how much I loved it, I wanted to post it somewhere with some more traffic. I was going to link it but I know it wouldn't even be notice and I considered the main Buffy spot but the Bangels would attempt to kill me (I say attempt beacuse I'm sure you would all protect me...right?) so I decided to go to our base.

I'm sure it's not going to be everyone's thing but I read so much stuff that something that makes me like this just has to be good.