A/N: I haven't updated in a while due to recent events in my life, but hopefully I'll be updating more often. I was thinking I should go back and make the chapters shorter, maybe cut them in half. I realized as I re-read through them trying to get back into the mode of my story that it's incredibly hard to make it through a chapter that's as long as my chapters are. I was hoping this chapter would be a little shorter than past chapters, but it's hard to tell in WordPad. I also hope this chapter comes out better than the others, I spent about 3-4 months on it, lol. Enjoy, and please review. I'd love to hear your feedback... and thanks to Sorceress Cassandra180 for being the first to review my story :).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee leaned back on her elbows, drawing in a lung-full of the salty ocean air. She dipped her feet into the cool blue paradise, feeling the liquid satin caressing her feet and ankles. Her eyes drifted between the sunrise-tinted sky above her, and the bustling city across from her. Somehow she was amused almost by the pure oxymoron it was. This city, full of such danger and corruption, built on a virtual paradise. It was, in fact, somewhat poetic.

As she sat and took in the sight of her surroundings, she realized it had become somewhat of a ritual that she come out here every morning to watch the sunrise, but that was okay. It helped her keep her head straight amidst all the chaos that surrounded her.

For instance, Marty had been giving Dom a hard time lately, and she was beginning to worry. She had found out long ago that Dom was a quick-tempered man, and Marty was definitely pushing him beyond the line that bordered anger and fury. Lee thought it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, and she knew Marty wasn't that stupid. She secretly wondered what he had up his sleeve, but she didn't bother to ask. In fact, she had been keeping to herself more often lately. She wasn't sure whether it was because she felt like she was being pulled into the middle of a spinning whirlpool of all things hellish and had absolutely no control over it, or because she felt she simply had nothing good to say.

Lee closed her eyes, allowing these thoughts so escape her mind, leaving room for more important things. She had neither the time -- nor the mind -- to waste on such irrelevant matters. Though she was growing closer to Marty, it wasn't her place to worry about him. He was Dom's sidekick, not hers.

Realizing the thought that had just crossed her mind, she backtracked and focused on one particular word: place. It wasn't her place. Suddenly the cold, hard reality of her situation came rushing to her, leaving her near breathless as she gazed up toward the already-sunny morning sky. She finally realized her place in all of this.

"I'm Marty," she whispered to herself.

"You're far more useful than Marty."

Lee jumped to her feet and spun around sharply, glancing at a smirking Dom standing just outside the sliding glass doors of the back patio. She just glared at him, suddenly finding herself speechless unable to point out that it seemed as if he'd made a habit of sneaking up behind her and startling her.

"Beautiful out here, isn't it?" he asked as he walked toward the seaside and stopping beside her, never taking his eyes off of the baby-blue morning sky. Lee just nodded and mumbled a nearly incoherent "uh huh," her mind still not having entirely settled yet.

"Yeah. I've seen you out here a lot lately, briskly at sunrise." He paused, glancing quickly at Lee and smiling. "Never knew you to be an early riser." Lee glared at him, allowing a quiet smirk to slide across her lips.

"I'd hardly think knowing a person for a month, give or take, constitutes as you knowing them as well as you think you know me," Lee replied audaciously. As soon as she saw the disapproval grow along his features she decided it best to retract her sarcasm. She'd figured Marty was already grinding his nerves; it wasn't a good idea for her to start, too. "It helps me relax and keep my head straight," she corrected, softening her voice and sobering her own features.

"Ah," he replied simply. There was a long pause as each of them stared into the morning sky, each at an equal loss of words.

"I remember enjoying a nice sunrise every now and then," Dom finally spoke, breaking the brief awkward silence. "'Course, big city sunrises ain't as nice as Florida ones." Lee glanced over at him.

"What do you mean big city?" she questioned. She'd always just assumed he grew up in Vice City.

"What, you thought I grew up here?" It was almost as if he'd read her thoughts. Lee nodded. "Oh. Nah, not many Italians grew up in Vice. It's mostly Cubans down here. I grew up in Liberty City, you ever heard of it?" Lee shook her head.

"Not that I can pin-point, but it sounds familiar. It's in New York, right?" This time Dom nodded.

"Yeah."

"Ohh," Lee replied as if everything all made sense now. "So that explains the accent," she thought out loud. Dom smiled and looked over at her again. She met his gaze and smiled back, unsure of what to say next. She'd noticed he had a rather attractive smile. He wasn't a bad looking man all together. He had dark hair and eyes, and olive skin -- it was apparent he was Italian even before he'd told her so. He was tallish, not necessarily exceptionally tall, and he had a sturdy frame. Not skinny, and by no means was he fat. He was just... sturdy. "So why did you come to Vice City then?" she asked, trying to direct her thoughts away from analyzing his appearance.

"To help a friend," he replied simply.

"Oh, that Tommy something guy?"

"Vercetti... yeah. I heard he was doing good for himself down here and decided to come and see if he could... use a helping hand," he chose his words wisely.

"And that lead to partnership..."

"Yeah."

"So where does the helping part come in?" Dom continued to stare at the sky; Lee knew he was trying to think of the right words to use.

"Well, how can I explain this? Tommy is a complicated man, and he handles business, well, differently."

"He's a very shrewd businessman, and doesn't always ... use discretion. Not everyone is crazy 'bout him," Dom looked over at her, searching her face for a reaction. Lee stared blankly for a moment before nodding her head and smiling.

"So you mean basically he's a walking dead man?" Lee asked directly. Dom laughed, amused at her blatant and unmonitored honesty.

"Yep."

"So he's a big man in town, right?" Dom nodded.

"Yeah..."

"And he's your business partner, right?"

"Uh huh..."

"So why haven't I met him yet?" Dom's amused face instantly sobered, almost falling into a scowl.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"And you don't?" Lee replied, either not noticing or simply not accepting his hint.

"I have the right to," Dom snapped back, amply irritated at her unwarranted inquiry. He shifted his eyes away from her face and back over the ocean before turning to the house to head inside. "Don't stay out here too long, there's things to be done." Lee rolled her eyes and turned back to the ocean, listening to hear the click of the sliding glass doors closing.

"Dude needs to get laid," Lee whispered flatly to herself in a failed attempt to redeem her mood. She took one last look at the serene view, soaking it into her memory before turning toward the house and heading inside herself.