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Leaving Ethan and Emily in Lin's capable hands, I embarked on a journey to visit my mother. And man, it was one heck of a journey. Mother was a dream walker, and she had waltzed right into my dreams the night before and asked me to come see her. The fact that it would take me about three hours on the road to get to her did not even register with her.

As I entered her - in her words - modest home (which was way more than modest if you didn't get the hint), I was greeted by the familiar scent of freshly baked cookies and a flickering fireplace that cast a warm glow across the room. My mother, sitting in her favorite armchair, wore a reserved smile that only hinted at the depth of her affection.

For someone who screamed at me how much she had wanted me unborn for the first five years of my life, she and I had a rather good relationship.

"Don't say it," she warned me once I was through the door.

"Really?" I asked, shaking my head. "Why not? Emily and Ethan say it all the time."

"Cause I a