Roman had driven Kim over to his house, explaining on the way that Marlena had no memory of where she had been during the three years she had been missing. He also had hinted that Marlena's return had created upheaval in his relationship with Isabella, but Kim decided that conversation could wait. Roman seemed pretty clear that he did not want to discuss that now.

Even though she had regretted the thought, Kim had been unable to avoid wondering how Roman and Kayla both had two potential suitors, while she had none. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Kimmie, she said, reminding herself that she had pledged to move forward with her life when they left Donovan Manor.

She set that thought aside as they came through the door and Kim suddenly remembered what it had been like to see Steve on the stairs of Donovan Manor a month earlier. Marlena was sitting on the couch looking at a photo album. She looked up as Roman and Kim entered.

"Kimberly!" she said, rising from the couch. 'It's so good to see you." Before Kim knew it, they were hugging. When they broke away, Kim just stared for a few minutes.

"I can't believe it," Kim finally said. "How?"

"How am I alive or how did I get back to Salem?" Marlena shrugged. "I can only answer the last one. I hitched a ride on a plane that landed in Miami and then made my way here. But where I was before that, I can't really say." She glanced at Roman, who nodded, telling Kim that there was something her brother had not said before. "We thought you might be able to help. Roman told me you helped Shane out when he couldn't remember things."

"That seems to be me - the memory guru," she said, as she looked at Roman, hoping he would stick to the cover story even with Marlena. "I just helped Steve out a bit, too."

"I didn't tell you," Roman said. "It looks like you're not the only Brady spouse back from the dead this month."

Marlena seemed to just take that in; she stood silently. Maybe it was not that surprising, as Marlena mainly knew Steve from some of his less-than-savory time periods and, briefly, after he helped rescue her in Stockholm.

Kim realized that the silence was growing a bit awkward. "Have you told the children?"

Roman answered first. "Yeah. We told them yesterday. They're . . ." He glanced at Marlena. ". . . confused."

As if she had never been gone, Marlena cut to the chase. "They don't understand because they don't know what it means for Roman and Isabella." She looked at Roman. "Did you tell her?"

Roman looked rather uncomfortable. "Uh . . . no." He turned to Kim. "Isabella and I got engaged while you were gone, but that obviously. . . ."

Kim got the picture. "Sounds like there's a lot happening." For all of us. She looked at Marlena, who had always been a tremendous friend to Kim. From her earliest days in Salem, it had often been Marlena who had been Kim's confidante. It was Marlena who pushed Kim to reconcile with her family when she first returned home. And Marlena was the second person - after Shane - to whom Kim revealed her past as a prostitute. Maybe I could use a confidante now, she thought.

Marlena smiled. "Come and sit down. I'll prepare some tea." She headed into the kitchen as Kim sat down on the couch and Roman joined her.

"It's like no time has passed at all," Kim said softly. It was. Marlena seemed to have just slipped back into her role as Roman's wife and the twins' mother. But, of course, it was nearly five years since Marlena's "death," and Roman had moved on with his life.

Kim studied her brother, who had not responded to the comment. He was staring in the direction of the kitchen, with a slight frown on his face.

"This can't be easy for you," she said. As he nodded, she added, "How's Isabella doing? I gather that's what you didn't want to tell me before."

Roman nodded again. "She's struggling . . . and confused."

"Like you are, I'm sure." Kim knew her brother. He was probably beating himself up over hurting Isabella, even though he could never have guessed this would happen. "You can't blame yourself, Roman."

"That's what I keep telling him," Marlena said, as she returned from the kitchen with a tray and two teacups. "It will work out in time." She set down the tray on the coffee table. Kim took a cup and sipped the tea as Marlena asked, with obvious concern, "So why don't you fill me in on how you're doing, Kimberly?" She gave Roman a quick glance.

"Uh . . . yeah . . . I think that's my cue to find some police business that's calling my name. Yep, I hear it loud and clear, ladies." Roman grinned as he stood up and headed for the stairs.

Kim shook her head and rolled her eyes, before looking at Marlena. "You're only just back and you're already playing mother hen, Marlena."

"Sorry, but the role comes naturally." Marlena sipped from her cup. "Roman told me a little about you and Shane and Kayla. And with everything happening with Kayla, I suspect you could use a friend to talk to."

"I thought I was supposed to be helping you," Kim said.

"There's time for that, I'm sure." Marlena fixed her gaze on Kim. "But let's talk about you - and Shane. I don't think you went through everything you did to be together only to throw it away."

If only it were that simple, Kim thought. "I don't know what Roman told you about our break-up, but it's pretty complicated."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Kim laughed. "I doubt you have enough time in a month to go through everything. Let's just say that I messed up, and hurt Shane terribly, when I got pregnant. And he turned around and pushed me away."

"You still love him, don't you?" Marlena glanced at the stairs. "Roman told me you do."

"It's probably pretty obvious," Kim said, with a sigh. "And I know Shane does too." She could hear his voice, the tone so painful, "Why'd you leave? Why'd you walk out on me? Couldn't we have been happy again?" Then she remembered their last conversation. "I know it's unreasonable, and it's unfair to you . . . Maybe it's just my stupid pride. But I can't help the way I feel." Kim let out a deep breath and then said, "I can't do this right now. You're just back and the reality is that Shane and I are over, and all the wishing in the world won't change that."

Marlena nodded slowly. "Very well. We won't talk about it now. But we will talk about it in the future."

In the future, Kim thought. If Shane ever returns. She had the feeling that whatever danger he was in had passed, but she still had no idea where in the world Shane was or what he was up to. She tried to push the thought aside. "Let's talk about happier things," she said. She reached over to the photo album Marlena had been reviewing earlier. That would work perfectly for a distraction. Kim smiled as she said, "Let me tell you about all the things that happened while you were gone."