---

Waking in a cold sweat he kicked the covers away from his legs allowing the cool night air to raise Goosebumps on his sweat slick skin. With barely a glance at his sleeping companion he swung his legs over the side of the bed, fumbling for his clothes.

"Marco?" The sleeping woman murmured her hand coming in contact with the tense muscles of his toned back causing him to flinch at the unsolicited touch. "Where are you going?" She added dozily raising her head from the pillow to look at him. "It's three am."

"To my own bed." He retorted gruffly, shrugging off her hand as if he were brushing off an annoying insect before pulling on his silk pajama bottoms.

"You could stay here…I think Luigi has guessed already." She teased trying to catch his hand to pull him back to her, but he brushed away her attempts with a sneer.

The dream was still too real, and 'She' still dominated his thoughts.

Heading towards the door he quickly dodged the pillow thrown at him, his apathy quickly turning to annoyance when a shoe followed narrowly missing his head.

"You leave now and don't you dare think about coming back!"

Turning around he glared at her, taking in her sleep rumpled dark hair, the smeared mascara round her dark eyes and the thin sheet that did little to hide her curvaceous figure. Many men would have called Maria a beauty but for him she was merely a convenience, a perk of sharing the house with her brother.

"Fine by me." He muttered disappearing through the door and shutting it behind him, a smile tugging at his lips as he heard the other shoe collide with the closed door at his back.

Walking into the great room he quickly found the drinks cabernet and the rather fine cognac he had treated himself to after the last payoff. Pouring a large measure he walked to stare out of the window, the uninterrupted desert vista always soothed his disquieted mind and it was worth the extra few thousand the house had cost. More nights than not he found himself standing here unable to sleep because of the strange and yet achingly familiar images that plagued his mind when he slept.

The worst or the best depending on your perspective were the nights he dreamt about 'Her'. Then there was little chance of returning to sleep, and if he stayed in his bed he would be tortured by fragmented images, long smooth toned legs, coco skin so soft and yet firm beneath his fingers and a back that could have been sculpted by Michelangelo himself. He could never remember seeing her face nor could he recall a name, so she remained 'Her'.

He was slowly beginning to accept his lack of memory. Two months ago mere days after his 'accident' when the dreams had first started he had thought it would only be days until he regained his full memory, but the dreams came and went and his memory remained lost. Through his new contacts he had perused the police's missing person file; he wasn't on it, clearly no one cared he had vanished and a warning voice he had learned to listen to warned him against going to the authorities himself.

He had forged himself a new life with Luigi's help, he had been taken into their family like a long lost cousin, they had named him Marco after Mars the god of war and he found it oddly appropriate. Employment was easily found when Mr Capuzza was your friend and he had plenty of opportunities to exercise his particular skills, and quickly became a favourite of the old man thanks to his creativity and discretion.

Of course his meteoric rise had also earned his fair share of enemies; he was well aware of this and simply shrugged off the childish taunts and the nickname some joker had saddled him with 'Albini'; the 'albino Italian' they sniggered.

The tinkling sound of breaking glass broke his reverie and he instinctively crouched down crawling towards the antique desk in the corner. Pulling open the top drawer he retrieved his gun, then slipping into the shadows he slid along the wall to the kitchen screwing on his silencer.

The light from the open refrigerator cast a dull illumination over the kitchen and the tall broad man who was noisily rummaging around in the icebox as if he owned the place. Glancing over at the back door it was obvious how the intruder had entered as the glass panel had been smashed and some fool, probably Maria, had left the key in the lock so he had been able to simply let himself in.

Waiting as the intruder straightened up, one of Luigi's beers in his hand, Marco stepped behind him releasing the safety on the revolver as he placed the barrel of the silencer against the back of his head.

"What the F…"

"What are you doing in my house? Is the more appropriate question don't you think?" He asked in his clipped accent his pale eyes narrowing in disgust as the intruder trembled like a little boy caught with his pants down.

"Sorry mister…I didn't realise this was your place, I thought…"

"I don't give a damn what you thought." Marco hissed pushing the barrel of the gun firmly into the glut of tanned flesh that bulged over the too tight collar causing the intruder to squeal and plead for his miserable life. Smirking as he relished the feeling of power over an inferior being Marco's finger itched on the trigger, it would be so easy, only the thought of the mess over his new kitchen gave him cause to pause.

"Marco…Luca." Luigi's voice rang out.

"Luigi my old friend…brother…Thank god you are here."

"Brother?" Marco asked glancing back over his shoulder at Luigi. "The same scum who stole from you…Oh now this will be a pleasure." He added twisting the barrel some more and relishing the shrill pleading.

"Marco no!" Luigi insisted stepping into the kitchen proper and placing a restraining hand on his shoulder, an act of familiarity he barely tolerated, but he allowed the older man to pull him away tucking the gun into the back of his pajama bottoms.

As soon as the gun was removed from his head Luca seemed to change, gone was the terrified whelp, he puffed up his chest tugging at the belt which held his trousers up over his sagging stomach. Taking a seat at the kitchen table he retrieved the beer he had dropped opening it with a contented sigh, not caring as it squirted across the table seemingly oblivious to the hole Marco was burning into his head with his eyes.

"So who's Blondie?" He asked obnoxiously eyeing the half naked Marco with disgust and perhaps more than a hint of envy as he took in the toned chiseled physique displayed above the dark silk pajamas.

"Family." Luigi retorted sharply.

"Whose, don't tell me that randy bastard of a father of yours whelped this one off on some slapper?" Luca sniggered laughing at his own joke as he took another swig of beer.

"No." Luigi retorted with more than a hint of anger. "Why are you here Luca?"

"My wife is here, she lives here ergo I live here." Luca answered smugly, his narrowing piggily.

"I am amazed you dare to show your face."

"Hey when I want your opinion Blondie I'll ask for it. This is family business, so keep your nose out." Luca retorted sharply the confident look on his face quickly slipping as Marco retrieved the gun from its hiding place and began to pass it playfully between his hands, his pale eyes locked on Luca's face as if daring him to taunt him once again.

"Luca!" Maria exclaimed bursting into the kitchen in little more than a T-shirt, her voice full of faux enthusiasm as she pushed passed a silent Luigi and a sneering Marco.

"Babes." Luca retorted ignorantly accepting his wife's hug and kisses, missing the blatant glare she sent in Marco's direction, taunting him with what he could have had which was now bestowed on her obese husband.

"I missed you…I was so lonesome without my big Luca-bear to keep me warm." Maria simpered fluttering her long dark lashes, ignoring the snort of amusement that came from Marco's direction.

"Sure you were." He muttered under his breath pushing Luigi aside as he made his way back into the great room, his interest in the family reunion quickly fading. It was just all so dull.

"Umm Marco." Luigi asked following the younger man. "Luca…I mean this is really your place. Is it alright if he stays, I know there was something going on between you and Maria.."

"It was nothing." He dismissed Luigi's concern with a wave the hand, before retrieving the glass of cognac he had left on the desk.

"So can he stay…Even after what he did he's still family?"

Surprised by such a remark he turned and stared at the apologetic Luigi who unused to such scrutiny from the pale silent man shifted uncomfortably. "He can stay, but only because you asked. " He replied eventually draining his drink in one swig.

"Keep him out of my way…Oh and try and get him to clean up after himself. I refuse to live with a pig." He added dismissing the family drama with a shake of the head, if he went back to bed now he might be able to catch another hour, before the dreams woke him once more. As long as it wasn't the one about falling, he could deal with any of the others, even 'Her' but not the sheer terror of falling through air helpless to stop yourself. Perhaps if he thought about strong arms and soft dark skin before he fell asleep his dream lover would be there to catch him, even if he fell.