"I haven't thought about that Berlin job in ages, partner." Roman - Roman 1, Shane reminded himself - laughed as he walked back and forth across the floor of Shane's study. Jeannie watched him walk. Having grown bored at sitting on Shane's lap, Roman 1 had put her back in the playpen. Roman 1 chuckled a little more. "Do you remember that night? I got stuck on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall-"

"And I nearly called in the Marines to get you out." Shane struggled not to grin. Only the true Roman Brady would remember that mission in 1978. That had been one of Shane's first assignments as a captain in the ISA, and he had feared it might be his last. Having an operative like Roman Brady captured by the Stasi would have been a major disaster.

Roman 1 nodded. "Well, it all worked out in the end. You arranged for that undercover operative to stash me in a basement."

"Right," Shane said. "What was his name?"

"Her name," Roman 1 corrected. "Claudine? No, that's not right. Oh, yeah, Klaudia." He stopped, looked at Shane, and raised an eyebrow. "So do I pass?"

"I think I'd better reserve judgment until I interview the . . . other Roman," Shane said. "Sorry, this is pretty awkward. In my head, I keep calling you Roman 1 and 2 just to keep things straight."

Roman 1 ran a hand through his hair. "That would almost be funny-"

"But it's your life, Roman. Trust me, I understand." Shane ran a hand along the length of the desk in front of him. "I'm as perplexed as the rest of you."

"I know." Roman 1 sounded understanding. "But, partner, you just make sure that I'm Roman number 1 in your mind. Because I am Roman Brady."

Shane sighed. "We'll know soon enough. Why don't you go to the library and send . . . him over here? I'll see what I can find out."

As Roman 1 left, Shane tried to figure out what was going on. Roman 1 had answered all of Shane's questions, even the trick ones, and had offered details about missions that even Shane had forgotten. The only problem was that Roman 2 was the spitting image of Roman Brady before his supposed death in 1984. Shane knew that Stefano DiMera had top-notch plastic surgeons, but Shane doubted even they could create such a perfect replica.

Then there was the issue of Roman 2's voice. For years, Shane and Roman's only communications had been over radio, often lengthy exchanges as they worked opposite ends of the same case. That had been how Shane had first learned of the Brady family - from stories Roman would tell about his quiet sister Kim, his energetic sister Kayla, and his rebellious brother Bo. Even before Shane was assigned to Salem, all those hours talking with Roman made Shane feel like knew the Brady family. And all those hours had taught Shane to recognize Roman Brady's voice.

When they thought Roman had returned from the dead, Shane had ignored the difference in their voices. He figured the imprisonment by Stefano, the surgeries, and the passage of time had made Roman 1 sound different from the Roman Shane had known. Marlena did not question the differences, so why would Shane?

"We ready in here?" That was the same voice Shane remembered. He looked up as Roman 2 pulled the study doors closed behind him and glanced suspiciously around the room.

Trying to assuage Roman 2's suspicions, Shane said, "You can trust me."

"Can I?" Roman 2 asked. "There's sure a lot of reason not to. Treason charges. My ex-boss and my sister. Maybe you should tell me about that. Last thing I knew, you were keeping her under surveillance."

Shane forced himself to take a deep breath. "My relationship with Kimberly was not something I planned. It just happened."

"It just happened once you got me out of the way." Roman 2 stomped his foot. "Don't think I've forgotten what happened with DiMera. You were supposed to do that mission, not me. If not for you, I wouldn't have gone through hell all those years. Hell, I thought you died when that volcano exploded on Stefano's island."

Deep inside, Shane felt the same guilt he had felt when he heard that Roman had died rescuing Bo, Hope, and the other plane crash victims. That had been Shane's mission, and he had not been there to do it. But there were reasons, Shane reminded himself, before he said, evenly, "I nearly did die, DiMera's second - remember Petrov - he caught me in the compound. He was going to blow it up with me inside it, but I managed to pick the lock on the leg cuffs and escape before the blast. And then the volcano erupted." Shane remembered how the ground had shook, tossing him around as he tried to escape from DiMera's compound, his wrists still shackled because he dared not to stop to unlock them. "I got lucky. I made it to the water, found a skiff, and got off the island before the lava reached me. I spent the better part of two days at sea before the ISA picked up my emergency beacon."

He waited as Roman 2 digested that information. "How do I know it wasn't all a set-up?"

"I was not working for DiMera," Shane nearly shouted in exasperation. "Look . . . you would never have found Bo and the others if I hadn't turned on the radio in Stefano's compound. That's the only way you even heard the coordinates of that island, and Petrov would've killed me if he realized what I was doing."

"That was you?" When Shane nodded, Roman turned and began to pace. Scowling slightly, he asked, "So I'm supposed to believe that you just decided to move to Salem and marry my sister?"

"No. . . ." Shane tried to figure out how to explain the past seven years. "After we thought you had died, I came to Salem to try to stop Stefano. We knew he had an operation planned here, plus, I guess, I wanted to make sure Bo didn't do anything stupid."

"Good luck with that," Roman 2 muttered. "And through Bo, you got close to Kim?"

Shane decided now was not the time to mention how Kim had worked for him and gotten close to Leopold Bronski at his request. Instead, he said, "Something like that. Look . . . I'm not your enemy."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Roman 2 stopped pacing. "Doc told me we could trust you, but if the ISA thinks you're a traitor. . . ."

Shane groaned loudly. How was he going to convince the man of the truth?

"Yeah, fine. Marlena says the charges are bogus and you were just doing something for Kayla's husband." Roman 2 shook his head. "Haven't met him yet. He another ISA agent?"

Now how do I answer that? Shane wondered. "He. . . . He occasionally provided services to the agency." That caused Roman 2 to raise an eyebrow, but Shane spoke first. "This isn't the time to go into details about Steve and the ISA. Just know that I owed Steve and Kayla to rescue him from the men who were holding him. And if you really are Roman Brady, you would understand what family means and would have been right there with me on that mission."

Roman 2's scowl faltered, and he looked down at the floor.

"Now, can we get on with this?" Shane asked. He was beginning to feel tired. The physical therapy earlier that morning, coupled with the strain of dealing with two Roman Bradys, was beginning to get to him.

Roman 2 seemed not to notice, but he finally growled, "Go ahead. If this is what it takes to prove to my wife and family who I am, shoot away."

Leaning back in his chair, Shane looked at his notepad and the list of questions he had asked Roman 1. Then he raised his eyes toward Roman 2. "Very well. Let's start with Stefano DiMera. . . ."