"Marcello this is my niece, Anastasia Ferraro."

Anna stares anywhere but him. His eyes bore into the side of her head. What are he odds? Marcello. Morretti. Here. In Italy. In her uncles house. As stupid as it sounds she could smell him before she saw him. Musk and honeysuckle mixed with scotch. Anna's Marcello. How on earth did he find me? She thinks to herself. My life should be a movie.

Anna's blonde hair covers part of her face but she hears Marcello steps closer.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Anastasia." Marc says in Italian his voice emotionless. Taking a deep breath Anna looks up. Her eyes lock with his and she hears the sharp intake of breath.

"Actually we have met." She says confidently and in English.

It takes all Marc's self control not to grab her and take her right there. Five months without this woman. He has spent five months without her. While he only was sane for two weeks of it, he still knows it was too long.

"Anna?" Marcello clarifies still unbelieving.

"Let's give them some space." Tatiana says in Italian ushering her confused family out of the sitting room.

"You're blonde."

Anna's hands goes to her hair. She gives Marc a small smile.

"How are you?" Anna says after some time.

"Better." Marc says his eyes not leaving hers.

"That's good." Anna says softly. Then the flood gates break. Every emotion Anna has been holding in pours out. "It should have been me." Anna says through her sobs. "You could have died."

Out of instinct Marc wraps his arms around her.

"I didn't." He says running his hand in circles on her back. "I'm here Anna I'm not going anywhere."

Marcello's words make Anna sob harder into his chest. Marc squeezes her tight.

"I'm sorry." Anna whispers.

"You never need to be sorry cara."

"But I just left. I didn't help. I didn't stay. I just...I couldn't lose you like I lost Charlie."

"You haven't lost me cara."

"I love you Marcello." Anna's words cause Marc's lips to tug up into a full blown grin.

"I love you more."

Marcello's lips inch closer to Anna's.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Tatiana' voice does just that. "Annie you have thirty seconds before your grandfather drags you to the table."

Anna rolls her eyes and Marc takes her hand.

"What are you doing?" Anna says looking at their joined hands.

"I'm going to share you."

The two walk hand in hand into the dining room. The room is silent and the men in the family stand as Anastasia approaches.

"Can we eat now?" Maximus, Anna's youngest cousin whines. His brothers throw him a glare and he shuts his mouth quick smart. Marcello and Anna sit next to each other at the dining room table.

"Nonno?"

"Si Anastasia?"

"I wasn't honest when I came to stay." Anna says in Italian her voice almost a whisper. When her grandfather doesn't say anything she continues. "I left America broken hearted. I have loved staying with you and working for you but-"

"Your heart is elsewhere." Giovanni cuts Anna off. "You," He turns to Marcello, "you are the one who hurt her?"

"Regrettably." Marc lowers his eye line. "I love your granddaughter Giovanni. I'm deeply sorry for the multiple times I have hurt her. I'm learning from my mistakes, however slowly."

"Do you love him Annie?" Stefano asks.

"Yes."

"So today you take my company and my granddaughter?" Giovanni says with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"I...uh-"

"He is joking." Anna rests a hand on Marcello's thigh cutting him off. Marc breathes a sigh of relief.

Anna and Marc both dig in to the delicious food while keeping their hands joined under the table.

Anna's cousins monopolies the conversation around the table. Stefano, Giovanni and Marc talk business for quite a while and Anna sits eating, happily listening to her family talk.

"Think of your gorgeous children Anastasia!"

Simultaneously Marc and Anna choke on their food causing Anna's family to laugh loudly.

"NONA!" Anna scolds her grandmother.

"Oh Anastasia you have been single too long!" Marietta gushes. "It is time you settled down and Marcello is a wonderful man."

"But you don't just...you can't just...you don't say that!"

"Il mio cara amore." Marc whispers in Anna's ear and thank god she is sitting otherwise she may have fainted.

"See Marc didn't mind." Marietta laughs.

When dinner is over the family laugh and drink in the sitting room until Giovanni shows Marc to his room for the night.

'Separate bedrooms." Were the words muttered as Marc trailed after Anna's grandfather. Anna rolled her eyes at the old man having every intention of ignoring him.

"You know about Marc's other business?" Stefano asks Anna breaking her out of her thoughts.

"You know?"

"Yes princess."

"I've known from the first time I...had dinner with him."

"What happened before you left?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Annie if you are sharing this life with him you are always going to be in danger. The danger doesn't go away. Why do you think Tatiana never leaves the estate?"

"You?"

"The Ferraro's and the Morretti's have been working side by side for along time Anastasia."

"But...what?"

"It is quite fitting that you are with Marc but I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Between losing Charlie and losing Marc the first time, nothing hurts anymore."

"Promise you'll visit."

"I'm not leaving Stefano."

"I don't see Marc letting you stay."