Amanda and Chris walked back to the shade of the tree and sat back down. She became very tired and laid back, the next thing she saw was a blinding light. 'This is it,' she thought, 'I'm finally crossing over. I'm going into the light and finally this will all be over.' She inhaled one last time expecting it to be her last, but coughed when the sterile and air conditioned air met her lungs. Miranda and Patrick sat reading like they did every day when they sat vigil at Amanda's side. Both had noticed that she had more color in her face that morning when they arrived and both were stunned to hear a cough from her. Even more so when they both looked up and saw her face contorted. Miranda shot out of her chair, knocking a tray off the table. Amanda's eyes flew open.

"Oh my God, Amanda." Miranda gasped.

Amanda blinked a few times allowing her eyes to become accustomed to the bright fluorescent lights overhead. She focused on her mother and the look of absolute shock on her face. Then her father's face appeared over her.

"Thank God, we were beginning to think you were never going to wake up." Patrick laughed.

Amanda paled. "Dad? You're alive?"

"Of course, I just saw the doctor a couple weeks ago and have been declared healthy as a horse." He laughed patting his round belly with both hands.

"Don't lie to her Patrick." Miranda scolded and turned back to Amanda. "While he is healthy, his cholesterol is a little high. However the doctor says with a change of his diet it can be controlled. Look at me, going on about your father. It's so good to see your eyes open."

Patrick ran out of the room to retrieve her nurse. When they returned the nurse who introduced herself as Melissa said the doctor would be in momentarily. Amanda looked confused and asked where Callen, Chrissy and Patrick were. Everyone looked at her strangely. Miranda looked at her watch and told her that Callen should be arriving anytime like he did most days when he worked. After the doctor checked Amanda's vitals and sat with her for a while, she asked again after Chrissy and Patrick.

"Amanda, who are Chrissy and Patrick?" Her father asked.

"The kids; my, our children." She said still astonished that her father was sitting in the same room with her and at that seemed to have a pulse.

"Amanda, honey you don't have any children." Miranda said with a very concerned look on her face.

"No Mom, G and I have a little girl; Chrissy; she's going on five years old and Patrick is barely six months old. Where are they, I want to see them." She growled.

Patrick took Amanda's hand. "I'm sorry, you've been in a coma for six months. You and Callen have not had the time to have children."

Miranda walked from the room after grabbing her cell phone from her purse and quickly dialed Callen's number. "How soon before you get here?"

"I'm looking for a parking place, why?" He asked worried that something had happened to Amanda.

"Well, Amanda's awake." She said, hearing the screech of brakes. "She's asking after you and someone named Chrissy and Patrick. She claims they are your children."

"She's awake?" He yelled. "I'll be right there."

Callen couldn't believe it, the one day he'd gone into work this week and Amanda wakes up. He was angry with himself, he wanted to be there when she opened her eyes for the first time. He wanted to see her first smile, kiss her. After severely pissing off another driver by pulling into a parking space they were waiting patiently for, Callen ran towards the main entrance of the hospital with his phone in his hand dialing.

"Sam I can't talk long, she's awake. Let everyone know. I'll call you after I've seen her." He said quickly.

"Seriously?" Sam asked and yelled. "Amanda's awake!"

Callen heard cheers in the background and beamed. "I'll call you back, Sam."

"Sounds good." Sam said and disconnected the call.

Callen stood at the elevator pressing the call button a million times and watched all of the elevators to see what floor they were on. Since none were near the lobby, he turned and took off towards the stairwell. Without another thought, he charged up the six flights of stairs and threw the heavy door open before he took off running through the halls to the ICU. He picked up the phone excitedly gave his name and was buzzed through. Melissa met him at the door with a huge smile.

"She's really awake?" He asked.

"She is but she's asking for you and the children." She said grabbing his arm before he blew into the room. "Somehow she got it in her head that you two had children and that her father died."

Callen looked at her oddly. "I'm sure she's just confused."

"Callen she's serious, she's acting very irrational."

"What did the doctor say?" He asked as they walked slowly towards Amanda's room.

Melissa stopped. "It's not completely unheard of for a coma patient to dream. They hear names or hear whoever is in the room with them talking and their minds use that information and creates and alternate reality. One that they literally live while in a coma. He thinks that's what happened with Amanda. There's no telling what she dreamt about for the last six months. Learning that everything that happened while she was asleep never happened could be devastating for her. You're going to have to be really patient with her."

Callen was worried. "We'll work through it, we have to. Right now, I'm going to go see my wife."

Callen hurried over to her room and stepped into the doorway. Her voice filled the room like a fine concerto. When she looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Please tell me the kids are with you?" She pleaded.

He walked to her side as she reached for him and pulled him to her as best she could. Callen leaned over and hugged her before he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "God I've missed seeing those eyes looking back at me."

Amanda pushed his hands away. "G, where are Chrissy and Patrick?" She asked.

Callen bent down so they were eye to eye. "Amanda honey, we've only been married just shy of a year, six months of that you've spent in a coma. How could we possibly have one child, let-alone two?"

"G, I'm not just waking up. I woke up five years ago and recovered fully. We got pregnant right before George died. Remember the case we worked with Gibbs and his team when we wound up in Capitola and I got sick?"

"Amanda, I don't know how to tell you this. It never happened." He told her softly.

Amanda shook her head and covered her ears. She couldn't believe Callen denied their children and tried to feed her this bullshit about her just now waking up from a coma. She knew for a fact that they'd had two children. Over the course of the next few hours, Amanda relayed every detail she could about the last five years. Callen, Patrick and Miranda sat horrified as she gave detailed accounts of a life that never happened. By the time her dinner arrived, which consisted of bland, easily digest-able foods, she was so frustrated that she threw it back at the aide.

When Amanda was given a mild sedative and finally resting peacefully, Callen motioned for Miranda and Patrick to follow him out of the room. All three were stunned and heartbroken for Amanda, Callen knew they had their work cut out for them. Not only was Amanda going to have to work hard to walk again but she was going to have to deal with the fact that her dream wasn't reality. Callen called Nate for advice.

Nate listened patiently as Callen tried to tell him everything Amanda said. When Callen admitted he had no clue where to start to help her, Nate offered to come see her. Being that he was in the middle of an assignment, he wouldn't be able to get away for a month or better. However he did promise to call regularly to see exactly how she was doing and said he'd speak with her doctor as well. While Callen was relieved, he still was at a loss. His biggest fear was losing her again, right after getting her back.

Amanda was on her side when he walked back into her room, Miranda and Patrick were gone for the night. He smiled, brushed her hair from her face and looked towards the heavens. "Thank you for giving her back to me, but please ease her pain; let her live for us and not her dream."

No matter how hard Amanda tried, she couldn't get back into her dream. She couldn't see Chrissy or Patrick anymore. They were gone forever. That in and of itself was the worst feeling she'd ever felt. Loving not just one person, but two who never existed was devastating.

Callen was asleep when Amanda woke. She always loved to watch him sleep. Her heart ached knowing he'd never know the life they had in her supposed dream. She took a ragged breath and brushed away the tears as he stirred and smiled at her. Slowly he got up and stretched before walking to her side to give her the first of many more morning kisses.

"How are you doing this morning?" He asked.

She shook her head, tears threatening to pour. "I wish you could have been there in my dream to see them. They were a perfect combination of the both of us. Chrissy was so smart."

"We will have kids someday Amanda. Even if they aren't the ones from your dream and they'll be just as special if not more so. They'll be real and we can enjoy growing old together while we watch them grow. I promise you Amanda, I'll make sure real life is better than your dream." He told her, tears in his eyes.

"I love you so much, G." She said and wrapped her arms around his neck.