"Maybe instead of focusing on how one might fall asleep later and shorten the dream, we can just focus on having any time at all to share it? I know it's not a miracle but it feels pretty miraculous to me. Even a minute would be more than anyone could ever expect." Yes, he was something of an optimist sometimes. He'd rather focus on the positives of the moment than already count all the ways in which it might be done better. He reached one hand over his head to give Ella some pets. With his foot he gently gave a loving nudge to Lucky and Sam. Holding onto Kate with his other arm, he blew out a breath. Eventually, sleep took him.

Sometimes in his dreams, Matt thought he saw. Hazy mental images that weren't precise due to how long it had been since he'd last actually seen anything. He heard voices, those tended to be more clear, but normally he either dreamed in a world on fire, or there was just very blurry images that represented what he remembered of objects and people.

This time though, as the amulet glowed, when Matt opened his eyes, he saw himself looking at a vibrant, utterly beautiful, city street in Paris.