I do. I swear on my gerbil's grave.

Some of yous might be scratching your nether regions right about now, wondering "But, why? Why, in the name of all that's holy, would Xenalicious say such a thing?" Well, I'll tell you. Sigh...

I hate it (and it took me a *number* of Freudian shrink visits to discover this about myself) because ... because - man, this is hard. Gimme a minute here, ok?

...

Okay. It would appear that my sexually decadent youth and a perpetually flippant lifestyle actually reflect a deep rooted need for... cuddling. There. It's out.

I'm a cuddle bug. And a big sap at that, too.

As you may imagine, this is a novel fact to most of my most dedicated followers (including all them women who tattooed my cell phone number on their unmentionables), so I do not like to advertise my vulnerable (and cuddly) side.

Alas, recommending a story such as this inevitably makes it disturbingly clear just what a "I sobbed while watching Steel Magnolias" pushover I really am. This is a great story, don't get me wrong. Wonderfully written. Very poignant. Happy ending. But so, so, sooooooooooooo romantic! (swoon)

I mean, Cole and Beth are your regular uber soulmate prototypes, but they teach us a very touching lesson that sometimes love alone is not enough. Unlike most other alt uber stories, this one doesn't go along the lines of "I came after I saw, I came again, and then we got hitched and lived happily after". Emotion brought out is as genuine as it is moving and the writing is highly evocative.

So, enjoy, and let the author know how much you liked it. Me? Oh, I'll be all right. I just need to find Mr. Cuddles and go curl up for a moment... (Side note - what does it say about the fact that all the lesbians I know give their stuffed animals *men's* names?)