Disclaimer: Okay, I think I've officially run out of dream and nightmare quotes, since I have stretched this story into a novel, so let me just say that nothing you read from now until the words 'The End' belongs to me, even thought I dream about it every day and night.

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20

Thankfully, they were seated at a corner table in the somewhat crowded and noisy restaurant. He had no need to look at the menu, as he ate at his mother's favorite restaurant every year for her birthday, so instead he stared at the two women who were lost in conversation. They hadn't stopped talking since they'd left the house, when both insisted upon giving the other the front seat then both ended up in the back seat. It had worked out perfectly, since it made it easier to carry on conversation.

He hadn't gotten a word in edgewise, which pleased him more than anyone would ever know. This whole trip had worried him as much as it had Sara. It was very important to him that she and his mother got along. They were the two most important people in his life and he was planning on spending his future with both of them.

After he ordered dinner for all three of them, the women lost themselves in their conversation once more, which was mostly about how Sara and Grissom's relationship developed, minus a few intimate details, and sometimes wandered to bits of his childhood. Neither woman seemed to even notice when he left the table and no one acknowledged his reappearance either.

He smiled, even if for only himself, pleased with the knowledge that all of his love sat at this single table. Looking around the room, he wondered if anyone could see what he saw, then realized no one could. His mother, his strength, was always there for him. She was his confidant and his love for her ran deep.

Loosing one's hearing would normally crush a person's existence, especially with a five-year-old son, but not his mother. The loss of her hearing had been hard, no doubt, but she used it as a bonding experience between her and her son. Together, they had gone to sign language classes three times a week and practiced at home every night. Childhood books became almost play like as they each took turns signing pages before bed and the bond between them strengthened to an unbreakable point.

Then they had been faced with the devastating loss of his father when he was nine. But nothing seemed to bring her down. She was a totem pole of strength. After the few tears at the funeral, life went back to normal. She had single-handedly made all of his childhood dreams come true after that. Even now, he looked back at his childhood and realized that he wouldn't trade a second. With no grandparents to speak of and no siblings, his mother was all he had until now.

Now, there was Sara, his one true love. The one woman he could always count on to be by his side. The unconditional love she held for him surpassed his every dream. He'd gone his whole life expecting to be alone, knowing that no one could ever understand him. But Sara had woken him from his nightmares and taken him deep into a dreamland that he never knew existed. The land of love was surely where he lived now, and would forever with her by his side.

With that thought lingering on his mind, he realized the table had become deathly silent as dessert was set in front of them. His smile grew as he watched Sara's eyes widen and her hands move to her face in shock. Set in front of her was not dessert, but a plate with a tiny black velvet box opened to reveal a sparkling five-stone engagement ring and a small note which read 'In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities. Janos Arnay.'

After a moment to let everything sink in, he looked to his mother, who had tears in her eyes, got down on one knee and began to sign as he spoke//Sara, I have spent years dreaming of love, never realizing that it was right in front of me, thinking that it was impossible to find my perfect mate. With you, I realize that nothing is impossible. I would like nothing more than to spend my whole life watching my dreams unfold and making each one of yours come true. You are my one true love. Sara Sidle, my love, my dream, will you marry me?//

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she flung herself into his arms, nearly knocking them both over. Several seconds passed before he stood and helped her to her feet, "Is that a yes?"

With her typical Sara joking, "Well…"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Clapping erupted from the restaurant and both of them backed away with red cheeks, "I think we caused a scene."

"Yes, I think so."

They were interrupted again by his mother//Well, are you gonna try the ring on or what?//

They all laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger with an almost perfect fit. Hugs and congratulations followed and after he paid the bill he lost his two favorite girls to their conversation in the back seat of the car.

When they finally crawled into bed, he gathered her into his arms, "Do you still want to sleep in another room?"

"Never."

"Ever?"

"Never ever."

"My place or yours?"

"Yours."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. Good night."

After a kiss, "Good night, my love"

With those few words, their future together started to unfold. Another step that he thought would be difficult turned out to be as simple as choosing which shirt to wear in the morning. Was love really this easy?